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"Once the sound of the future, now awesomely retro..." Every month, the Criterion Channel streaming service (one of the best in cinema) debuts a series of programming collections. Each one features a batch of films with a particular theme or connection by actor / director / composer. This is one of the best sets that I need to feature! One of June's latest offerings is Synth Soundtracks - a collection of 20 films featuring synthesizer scores, ranging from classics like Forbidden Planet (1956) and Thief (1981) to more obscure titles like Space Is the Place (1974) and Cat People (1982). Everyone knows Vangelis' iconic synth score for Blade Runner, but this selection went with Vangelis' other film Missing (1982). I enjoy this kind of curation because there's such a range of unique movies, not only expected classics. This also includes: A Clockwork Orange (1971), Shogun Assassin (1980), The Legend of Hell House (1973), Liquid Sky (1982), Tenebrae (1982), For All Mankind (1989), Delta Space...

In his latest interview/podcast, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks to Dominic Brunt about his new film Wolf Manor and “5 Films That Have Influenced Everything I’ve Done in my Adult Life” including:

Night of the Demon (1957) Whistle Down the Wind (1961) From Beyond the Grave (1974) Shogun Assassin (1980) Remains of the Day (1993)

See the World Premiere of Wolf Manor at Frightfest 2022. Click here for tickets: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/holdingfolder2/tickets.html

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Illustration by Jeff CashvanMovie-lovers!Welcome back to The Deuce Notebook, a collaboration between Mubi Notebook and The Deuce Film Series, our monthly event at Nitehawk Williamsburg that excavates the facts and fantasies of cinema's most infamous block in the world: 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. For each screening, my co-hosts and I pick a title that we think embodies the era of 24-hour theater hopping, and present the venue at which it premiered...Since we began in 2012, we’ve had the extreme pleasure of inviting the occasional guest curator to take over for the night with a title of their choosing… Our friend Chris Poggiali of Temple of Schlock fame has been an annual visitor, and this month Chris has contributed to our column with a fabulous piece about Japanese samurai films and their entry into the US mainstream.Chris is an authority on genre films and theatrical distribution history,...

A special two-part episode. From the movie Werewolves Within, director Josh Ruben discusses a few of his favorite movies. Then, Werewolves Within writer Mishna Wolff plays a game of “find the woman” in some of her favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode Josh Ruben:

Werewolves Within (2021)

Werewolves On Wheels (1971) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary

Wrath of Man (2021)

Trapped Ashes (2006)

The ’Burbs (1989) – Ti West’s trailer commentary

The Fly (1986)

To My Great Chagrin: The Unbelievable Story of Brother Theodore (2007)

Road To Perdition (2002)

Stephen King’s Cat’s Eye (1985)

Nightmare On Elm Street Part III: Dream Warriors (1987)

Flight of the Navigator (1986)

Grease (1978)

Honey I Blew Up The Kid (1992)

Big Top Pee-Wee (1988)

A History of Violence (2005)

The Dead (1987)

The Peanut Butter Solution (1985)

Irreversible (2002)

Hunter Hunter (2020)

Man Bites Dog (1992)

The Human Centipede: The First Sequence (2009)

A Serbian Film (2010)

Planes Trains And Automobiles (1987)

Lost In Translation (2003)

JFK (1991)

Home Alone (1990)

The Second Civil War (1997) – Glenn...

by Jack Ford

“Shogun Assassin” is a somewhat notorious title and one frowned upon by some purists. While Japanese in origin, this film is an amalgamation of the first two films in Toho Studios’ “Lone Wolf and Cub” series, assembled by American filmmaker Robert Houston, who also created new English dialogue and a new title for his version. It is not certain why the decision was made to introduce the Lone Wolf and Cub series – themselves adaptations of the manga series of the same name written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Goseki Kojima – to western markets this way. There existed an in-built audience for chambara films overseas and others in the genre had been released in the same territories untampered with.

Nevertheless, It turns out that these films were in safe hands. Despite not having much of a good reason to exist, “Shogun Assassin” not only...

36 Cinema is a first-of-its-kind experience that brings together film screenings with live in-depth commentary with directors, actors, critics and super fans.

At a time when communal events are few and far in between, 36 Cinema is excited to continue providing its audience with an unique experience. The intent of 36 Cinema is to supply viewers with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the films that have inspired and influenced generations of cinephiles.

Contrarily to the the VOD/streaming market 36 Cinema‘s screenings are all live events. Audience members are also able to submit questions which the hosts answer live during the screening. Commentators for past and future planned screenings include RZA, Donnell Rawlings, Eli Roth, Dan Halsted, Warrington Hudlin Israel Adesanya and Shaina West.

So far over 40 theaters have already joined the 36 Cinema platform and deals are in place from major distributors such as Janus Films, Agfa, Magnolia Pictures and Well Go USA.

If you’re of a certain age, there’s a decent chance that your first real exposure to the martial-arts cinema of the Shaw Brothers and Gordon Liu came from the generous splices of film dialogue featured on albums by the Wu-Tang Clan. Those samples all came courtesy of Wu-Tang mastermind the RZA, who has since expanded his horizons into feature film scoring and directing, and who is also a frequent participant in panels and Q&As on kung-fu films both classic and obscure.

It’s easy to see the appeal, then, of RZA’s newest venture through his 36 Chambers production company. Dubbed 36 Cinema, the platform presents live streaming commentary on films, with RZA in conversation with Dan Halsted, head programmer of Portland’s Hollywood Theater. The two will present their second film program this Sunday, a live exploration of the ultra-violent jidaigeki pic “Shogun Assassin,” which RZA memorably sampled...

Probably Tom Mes’s biggest trait as a writer is the fact that he manages to combine academic-level analysis with a style of writing that is quite easy to read. This has been exhibited in his previous book about Takashi Miike, Shinya Tsukamoto and Meiko Kaji, but seems to have found its apogee in his latest effort, about the cult-samurai movie series, “Lone Wolf and Cub”.

To begin with, the research is as thorough as possible and spares no detail about not only the movies, but every aspect that surrounds them. In that fashion, the first part of the book begins with the story of the manga and its two creators, Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima, continues with the concept of Bushido and its presentation (and deconstruction) in Japanese cinema, and concludes with the life stories of director Kenji Misumi, who directed the first three entries, and Tomisaburo Wakayama,...

Film-lover designed film posters in Rome in 1960s, including one for Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2.

David Weisman, the Oscar-nominated producer of Kiss Of The Spider Woman and an accomplished graphic artist, has died in Los Angeles from illness. He was 77.

Weisman passed away on October 9 at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles due to complications from neuroinvasive West Nile virus.

Born in Binghamton, New York, on March 11, 1942, Weisman attended Syracuse University’s School of Fine Arts in the early 1960’s. Inspired by La Dolce Vita, Weisman dropped out of college and travelled to Italy, where he found work designing film posters in Rome,...

David Weisman, an Academy Award nominee as producer of Kiss of the Spider Woman and an accomplished graphic artist, died on October 9 from complications from neuroinvasive West Nile virus. He died in Los Angeles at Cedars Sinai at age 77, according to his publicist.

Born in Binghamton, New York, in March 1942, Weisman attended Syracuse University’s School of Fine Arts in the early 1960’s. Inspired by the classic Italian film La Dolce Vita and armed with a gift for languages, Weisman dropped out of college to design film-posters in Rome. There he met Federico Fellini, for whom he created a poster for 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo).

Returning to New York, he collaborated with Otto Preminger, who asked him to create the title sequence for Hurry Sundown. He then became Preminger’s assistant on the film. Weisman also designed the key art for The Boys in the Band, among many others.

In 1967, with...

David Weisman, who was Oscar-nominated as producer of “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” died Oct. 9 in Los Angeles due to complications from West Nile virus. He was 77.

Weisman had a long career as a graphic designer and photographer and co-wrote and co-directed cult classic “Ciao! Manhattan” about 1960s icon Edie Sedgwick.

Born in Binghamton, N.Y., Weisman dropped out of Syracuse University in the early 1960s to design film posters in Rome. He met Federico Fellini and created a poster for “8 1/2” before returning to New York to work with Otto Preminger on “Hurry Sundown.” He also designed the key art for “The Boys in the Band” and many other films.

On “Ciao! Manhattan” he partnered with John Palmer, an alumnus of Andy Warhol’s Factory. He worked as associate director on avant-garde film “The Telephone Book” and created “Shogun Assassin,” edited from a series of Japanese samurai movies.

Weisman begin...

An architect of Chicago footwork in the late Nineties, Rp Boo helped create the first wave of that juddering style of dance music with his noir, menacing, skeletal sound. At once harsh and murky, his breakout song “114799” made a slap-chop soufflé of the Godzilla soundtrack, and eventually he would create similar stomp-and-skitter with The Empire Strikes Back, Live and Let Die and Shogun Assassin. His third full-length doesn’t have anything as immediate as 2016’s euphoric Lenny Kravitz-sample fricassee “Electric Energy” but instead goes deeper and moodier, a singular statement of dank throb.

Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.

Metrograph

Andy Warhol’s rarely screened Chelsea Girls plays on Saturday, while Jerry Lewis’ masterpiece, The Nutty Professor, has pre-noon showings.

Le cinéma du Burt Reynolds is highlighted in a retrospective.

Quad Cinema

Hoo-ah! “Pacino’s Way” looks at one of our greatest actors in his best and not-best work.

Straub-Huillet’s immense Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach,...

Craig Lines Feb 7, 2018

The Last Dragon was quite a different martial arts film. We dig into its story, and what happened...

When I was a kid in the local video library, I worked my way through as many martial arts films as I could, renting literally anything that had a bare-chested dude in a fighting stance on the cover. One film that fit the description, but stood out as being very different, was The Last Dragon.

As the brainchild of Berry Gordy, the mastermind behind Motown Records, it mixes martial arts, music, supernatural adventure, Bruceploitation, comedy and dance to surprisingly dazzling effect. The soundtrack is a showcase of what Motown Records was about in the mid-80s (arguably a second golden age for them), and its lead single – Rhythm Of The Night by DeBarge – should be familiar to anyone who knows their pop classics. But, far from being a flimsy...

Ogami Ittō may reignite his quest for vengeance as Paramount has hired 'Seven' writer Andrew Kevin Walker to script 'Lone Wolf and Cub' Hollywood debut. Justin Lin will be producing and hopes to direct the adaptation.

'Lone Wolf and Cub' was created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima and chronicles the story of Ogami Ittō, the Shogun's executioner who uses a dōtanuki battle sword. Disgraced by false accusations from the Yagyū clan, he is forced to take the path of the assassin. Along with his three-year-old son, Daigorō, they seek revenge on the Yagyū clan and are known as "Lone Wolf and Cub".

The manga was already adapted into a series of films starting Tomisaburo Wakayama as Ogami Ittō and Akihiro Tomikawa as his infant son Daigoro, these were reedited to make the awesome cult classic 'Shogun Assassin!'...

Craig Lines Apr 5, 2017

Marvel? DC? They have their moments, but how about Shogun Assassin, and in turn, the Lone Wolf & Cub movies?

Like most western viewers, I came to the Lone Wolf & Cub series via Shogun Assassin – a recut/mash-up of the first two movies, trimmed to 90 minutes and dubbed into English by a pair of enterprising Andy Warhol acolytes. It was one of the original 'video nasties' in the UK, banned for years, so highly desirable to a kid like me. And it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it was probably the goriest movie on the list.

While it may seem criminal now to butcher a pair of bona fide Japanese classics and completely change their meaning and tone, Shogun Assassin got away with it by being so vibrant and hyperactive. The inappropriate score is a joyful synthesiser meltdown and the spirited dub goes full-pelt, even if what they...

Stars: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa, Yunosuke Ito, Go Kato | Written by Kazuo Koike, Tsutomu Nakamura | Directed by Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saito, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

Producing six films across two years (1972-1974) is no mean feat, especially when you consider that they mostly retain their quality throughout. Based on the 28-volume manga series by Kazuo Koike (writer, who adapts for screen) and Goseki Kojima (illustrator), Lone Wolf and Cub is a set of brisk, ultraviolent action-adventure movies, packed with clever ideas, beautiful scenery, and weird characters, set in the Edo period (17th to 19th centuries) of Japan.

Martial arts star Tomisaburo Wakayama plays Itto Ogami (meaning “wolf”), an ex-Shogunate Executioner whose wife is murdered by the fearful Yagyu clan, led by the cruel Retsudo (Yunosuke Ito). Framed and shamed into exile, Ogami takes his son, Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa), and hits the road. Not just any road, but the “Demon Way in Hell...

Presented by Cynthia Rothrock | Written by Leroy Patterson | Directed by Charles Band

Trailer compilations have, in recent year, become big business, they have also become increasingly important in terms of keeping trailers alive. In this time of streaming and digital downloads, where films come sans trailers and extras, there’s no real way – beyond these types of compilations – of seeing interesting trailers for obscure films you may not be aware of.

Titles such as Trailer War, Trailers from Hell, the UK’s very own Grindhouse Trailer Classics, Drive-In Delirium, Attack of the 80s, and 42nd Street Forever have not only kept the trailers alive in a physical format, but also allowed new audiences to discover new (old) films. Keeping up this tradition is Full Moon, who have released a number of trailer compilations already as part of the Grindhouse line – mainly focussing on the sleazier end of genre cinema like...

You'll always be careful with knives after seeing the outrageous, impossibly gory violence of this brain-warping samurai series from the early 1970s. Tomisaburo Wakabayashi rolls his tiny tot Daigoro through feudal Japan, looking for trouble. There's simply been nothing like it: breathtakingly beautiful images aestheticize bloodletting as never before or since. Lone Wolf and Cub Sword of Vengeance, Baby Cart at the River Styx, Baby Cart to Hades, Baby Cart in Peril, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons, White Heaven in Hell + Shogun Assassin Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 841 1972-1974 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 630 + min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date November 8, 2016 / 99.95 Starring Tomisaburo Wakayama, Akihiro Tomikawa. Written by Kazuo Koike, Goseki Kojima Produced by Shintaro Katsu, Hisaharu Matsubara, Tomisaburo Wakayama Directed by Kenji Misumi, Buichi Saito, Yoshiyuki Kuroda

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

In an unexpected move, Criterion has released one of the most influential Japanese film series of the 1970s,...

“You are marked for death… wherever you go! You cannot escape the… Shogun!”

Shogun Assassin screens Wednesday, September 7th at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, Mo 63143) as part of Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series.

“Send Your Ninjas! I’ll Kill Them All!!! And so he does!! Shogun Assassin (1980) is a bizarre and amazing cult classic samurai film that is apparently pieced together from two longer films in the “Lone Wolf and Cub” Series. From my point of view the viewer would never know this was a composite film and it stands alone as an amazing and strangely hypnotic piece of violent film history. Shogun Assassin has some of the best sword fights ever shot on film. The plot has Lone Wolf (Tomisaburo Wakayama) travelling the countryside, pushing his son, Daigero, ahead of him in a baby cart. The only time he...

November tends to be the biggest month of the year for the Criterion Collection, the boutique home video company releasing some of their most exciting releases in time for the holiday shopping season. And, lucky for us, that trend continues in 2016, as Criterion has just revealed this year’s batch of November titles, and the slate includes some absolutely major must-owns. From Paul Thomas Anderson finally joining the Collection (and bringing Adam Sandler along with him!) to a series of samurai films that have never gotten their proper due, these are movies that are worth stampeding for on Black Friday.

Check out Criterion’s full November 2016 slate below, listed in rough order of our excitement for each title. And be sure to visit Criterion’s website for full release info.

1. “Punch-Drunk Love” (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson, 2002). #843

It was only a matter of time before Paul Thomas Anderson finally joined the Criterion Collection,...

For those who have not seen The quintessential samurai flick Shogun Assassin, just stop reading now and go watch it. That said, Lone Wolf and Cub was originally a manga about a samurai pushing his son around in a carriage while seeking revenge. It has two things I love - a high body count and spraying blood. It was made into 6 different films in the 1970s and in 1980 the first two of these was re-cut and dubbed in English.. and they made Shogun Assassin for the American market. Wu-Tang member Gza's first album, Liquid Swords, uses cuts from this film.

Now the below the bar news; Steven Paul, the producer behind the Ghost in the Shell Remake, bought the rights. So you're probably saying why is it going to be a bad remake? Steven Paul is behind such classics as Baby Geniuses and its numer [Continued ...]...

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Want a quality action film, but you only have an hour and a half? Step this way...

Looking back over the genre, action films definitely haven’t suffered from the trend to make everything longer. They’ve always been pretty long, regularly clocking in at over two hours. Perhaps because of all the slo-mo? But while the sweet spot for action classics seems to be the 100-110 minute mark, there are those that have cut the genre right down to basics, and succeeded all the more for it.

Below is my pick of 25 great action films 90 minutes or under. Even more so than other genres, action crosses many other films - picking a pure ‘action’ flick is all but impossible. So below I’ve chosen films that retain action sequences as their main narrative device, and keep the action at the heart of the movie, rather than as a extra.

40. Road to Perdition

One of the more surprising and lesser-known facts about Sam Mendes’ second film, Road to Perdition, is that it’s actually adapted from a graphic novel of the same name by Max Allan Collins. The plot follows Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an Irish mob enforcer as he goes on the run with his son Michael Jr. after Jr. witnesses a murder and their family is killed in an effort to cover up any witnesses. There’s many great things in this film that standout, such as Jude Law’s creepy performance as assassin Harlen Maguire, one of Paul Newman’s final and finest performances as mob boss John Rooney, and Hollywood got an early look at the talent of Daniel Craig as the unstable Connor Rooney. However, it’s the climax that remains the most memorable thing in it, featuring some of the most iconic work from...

At Filmmaker, we like and frequently post critical video essays, and today we are happy to post the first in a series from writer, editor and director Joe Peeler. Watch his explicated take on Shogun Assassin 2 and read his critical essay below. — Editor Life is like film. The moments tick away, insistent upon their accumulation until the movie ends or you die. The thesis of comedy is: life is ahead of you. The thesis of tragedy is: life is behind you. The thesis of Misumi Kenji’s Shogun Assassin 2 is: joke’s on you, nothing fucking matters. Every joke […]...

At Filmmaker, we like and frequently post critical video essays, and today we are happy to post the first in a series from writer, editor and director Joe Peeler. Watch his explicated take on Shogun Assassin 2 and read his critical essay below. — Editor Life is like film. The moments tick away, insistent upon their accumulation until the movie ends or you die. The thesis of comedy is: life is ahead of you. The thesis of tragedy is: life is behind you. The thesis of Misumi Kenji’s Shogun Assassin 2 is: joke’s on you, nothing fucking matters. Every joke […]...

ABCs of Death 2 consists of 26 short films that each build toward different, creative and totally messed-up ways of killing off people. It's got zombies and wizards and assassins and killer hamburgers, and that's just naming a small, small handful of the insanity in store. But what do the minds behind the movies actually think are the best movie deaths of all time? What nightmares fueled their own imaginations? Well, wonder no more thanks to this supercut of the director's picks, which contains some very famous and also very obscure selections.  We've also got a quote from our favorite director in the bunch (remember Steve Kostanski?) about his choice. Shogun Assassin (Steven Kostanski) For me, death in movies is most entertaining when it's absurd...

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Quentin Tarantino officially begins his tenure as film programmer of the New Beverly Cinema tonight when he re-opens the La institution after a monthlong remodeling. On the docket is a Paul Mazursky double feature of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Blume In Love, which kicks off three months of Tarantino-programmed films, as Deadline reported last month. Many of those films, screened on film either on 16mm or 35mm, will come from Tarantino’s personal vaults. Tonight’s Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice print is the best known print out there, according to Tarantino, who was gifted with the newly struck print after his Django Unchained opening.

After floating the beloved New Beverly business for years, Tarantino took over as manager and programmer last month from owner Michael Torgan with a renewed commitment to screening movies only on film. New features and upgrades inside the historic theater include the addition of mechanical masking,...

Prepare to be corrupted and depraved once more as Nucleus Films releases the sequel to the definitive guide to the Video Nasties phenomenon – the most extraordinary and scandalous era in the history of British film. Video Nasties: The Definitive Guide Part 2, a three-disc collector’s edition box set, is being released on DVD on July 14th 2014, to tie in with the 30th Anniversary of the Video Recordings Act 1984.

For the first time ever on DVD, all 82 films that fell foul of the Director of Public Prosecutions “Section 3” list are trailer-featured with specially filmed intros for each title, alongside a brand new documentary – Video Nasties: Draconian Days (review), directed by Jake West.

And to celebrate the release, Film4 FrightFest is hosting a special event – the world exclusive London Premiere of the finalised unseen extended 97 minute cut of Video Nasties: Draconian Days at The Prince Charles Cinema on Thurs 3 July, 8.30pm. The...

Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion. As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture.

One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.

This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.

There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...

Death Proof

Written by Quentin Tarantino

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

2007, USA

**Contains Spoilers***

Tarantino’s many skills set him apart from other auteurs working in the film industry today, but none of them dominate in his work as much as his ability to seamlessly weave his narratives through genre/sub-genre mash-ups. The Nouvelle Vague coolness and lurid noir of Pulp Fiction, the samurai western Kill Bill, and the World War II spaghetti western Inglourious Basterds illustrate just how well he can work combining two genres, but his most successful blending of genres comes from his second-billed Grindhouse flick: Death Proof.

Death Proof encompasses more genres in its one hundred minutes than any other film can possibly contain. As a homage to the double-billed b-movies of the ’60s and ’70s, Death Proof is structured like many films produced by American International Pictures and New World Pictures – a big hook early on and a strong climax.

If you've been living under a rock for the past decade(s), let me explain to you that the Wu-Tang clan loves kung fu. Their best album (arguably, but let's be honest...) Liquid Swords starts with dialogue from the kung fu classic Shogun Assassin. The rest of the album samples other films like Dragon on Fire and Shaolin Vs Lama. 

RZA further explored his love for film and kung fu by collaborating with Quentin Tarentino for the soundtrack of Kill Bill. After cutting his teeth on Kill Bill, RZA has decided to go full awesome and write and direct his first film The Man With The Iron Fists. Both Tarentino and Eli Roth (The Bear Jew) are helping out (Tarentino producing, Roth helping pen the script). 

Above is the official poster which touts a relatively cool cast (Lucy Liu, Russell Crowe and RZA himself). Apparently Pam Grier is also in this movie,...

This week, Warner Bros. releases the Oscar-winning musical "Camelot" on Blu-ray. (The release is tied to the film's 45th anniversary.) We have an exclusive look at the special new edition of the Arthurian classic, along with the full breakdown of this week's entire slate of DVDs and Blu-rays. Moviefone's Pick of the Week "The Innkeepers" What's It About? Two low-rent ghost hunters try to uncover the truth behind the real-life (and supposedly haunted) Yankee Pedlar Inn of Connecticut. Naturally, their ghostbusting ways are unprepared for the real supernatural horror that exists inside the hotel. See It Because: It's only with the smallest bit of hyperbole that we're calling director Ti West, "The most interesting new voice in the world of American horror movies." With ominous art direction and creeping camera-work, West's filmmaking style has earned him more comparisons to Roman Polanski and Stanley Kubrick, than the slasher schlock of the genre.

There's just one big DVD release hitting stores this week and that would be the Mark Wahlberg action thriller Contraband, which did reasonably well in theatres back in January but didn't leave much of an impression. There are also a few horror flicks and indie films in search of an audience, however, including Ti West's The Innkeepers, the acclaimed drama Pariah, and the Chinese action/comedy Let the Bullets Fly starring Chow Yun-Fat. Other new movies out this week include Darren Bousman's 11-11-11, Robin Hardy's The Wicker Tree and the Halle Berry VOD thriller Dark Tide, and new to Blu-ray we have the original Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy mini-series and the Shogun Assassin 5 Film Collector's Edition. What will you be buying or renting this week? Amazon.com Widgets

For More Daily Movie Goodness, Visit Filmjunk.Com!

A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for April.

Night Gallery: Season 3 DVD Available Now

The third and final season (1972–73) of Rod Serling’s underrated series finally comes to DVD. Season 3 (with episodes downsized to half an hour) is generally considered inferior to the first two years, but it still contains several classic episodes. Best of all, Jim Benson and Scott Skelton, co-authors of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, helped put together a “lost” episode featuring four segments that were heavily altered for syndication. Guest stars this season include Mickey Rooney, Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith and gorgeous Joanna Pettet (The Evil).

Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except (1985) Blu-ray/DVD combo Available Now

One of the last great exploitation films of the ‘80s to receive wide theatrical distribution, this gonzo action/horror hybrid from director Josh Becker features many names from the Evil Dead team, both...

The ever classic Lone Wolf and Cub series will see the big screen in yet another incarnation.

Fast Five director Justin Lin is set to helm the project, and he feels like a good man for the job. Lin has shown himself to be very competent in arranging highly entertaining action films with just the right amount of drama, which is the sort of chemistry needed by Lone Wolf and Cub. Even better, David and Janet Peoples have been hired on to write the script. This is the team behind Blade Runner, as well as 12 Monkeys. David Peoples also wrote Clint Eastwood's 1992 Unforgiven, which was just a wonderful film.

That such talented people are behind such a classic samurai manga bodes extremely well. Lone Wolf and Cub is something that is nearly sacred to many people; it is refreshing to hear of such a project being undertaken with such...

The manga series known as Lone Wolf and Cub has had a 6 part film adaptation which influenced the work of many including Frank Miller and was heavily sampled on Wu-Tang clan member Gza's acclaimed Liquid Swords album. To boot, Shogun Assassin, the best Jidaigeki and samurai film of all time, was cut from the first two films (trailer below) and remains a cult classic today.

Continue reading...

Deadline is reporting that New York-based Kamala Films has acquired the movie rights to Lone Wolf and Cub, with the previously-announced director Justin Lin (Fast Five) still attached to the project. David and Janet Peoples will handle the script.

Director Darren Aronofsky has been attached to several past plans to make a Lone Wolf and Cub movie over the years, but he could never secure the rights from Japan.

The original manga was created by Kazuo Koike and serialized from 1970-1976. The story features a skilled samurai named Ogami Itto who serves as the Shogun’s executioner until the Yagyu clan frame him for treason and murder everyone in his family except for his newborn son, Daigoro. When Daigoro is old enough to crawl, Ogami gives him the choice of a sword or a ball to decide his own fate: life with his father or death with his mother. Daigoro chooses the sword,...

Manga is all the rage in Hollywood at the moment. While "Akira" is on hold for the moment, fans were concerned when Warner Bros. announced that they were bringing "Bleach" to the big screen. And opinions are still split on Spike Lee's redo of "Oldboy," which is now aiming to shoot this fall. Well, we're sure this next project won't be scrutinized any less.

While Darren Aronofsky was loosely attached years ago and was eager to make it happen, Deadline reports that "Fast Five" director Justin Lin will take the helm of a Hollywood adaptation of Kazuo Koike's 1970s Japanese manga "Lone Wolf And Cub." The beloved and popular series tells the story of Ogami Itto, an elite Shogun’s executioner, who is falsely accused of a crime by a rival gang who murders his wife. With his three-year-old son in tow, he is forced to wander as an assassin for hire,...

Hurray? Well, that’ll depend almost entirely on how much you credit Justin Lin for the success of “Fast Five”, the film that has catapulted the Linster into the stratosphere of Hollywood, where he is now able to call his own shots and get any movie he wants. And while he’s smart enough not to abandon the “Fast and Furious” franchise (he’s currently working on the sixth, and probably seventh one as we speak), he’s already attached himself to some childhood favorites, like a Hollywood remake of the manga/Japanese movie “Lone Wolf and Cub” (previously released as “Shogun Assassin” in the States”). Now word has Kamala Films officially securing the rights to the manga property for Lin to direct. Here’s a quick rundown of the novice out there: The original was set feudal Edo period, and chronicles the story of Ogami Itto, the Shogun’s elite executioner.

Synapse’s 42nd Street Forever trailer compilations have been a tremendous success for the imprint, similar to what Something Weird Video has been doing for decades. Synapse gathered trailers from all corners of the cinematic universe, enough to populate five volumes over the last seven years, and now they are finally stepping into the world of Blu-ray.

42Nd Street Forever: The Blu-ray Edition, available on May 8th, is a compilation of the best of of the best from volumes 1 and 2 of the DVD series, featuring almost four hours of all the naughty bits that get underground cinephiles excited. Also included is a new commentary from Fangoria’s Mike Gingold. Fangoria.com has shared the cover art and sample list of trailers below.

Act Of Vengeance

Black Samson

The Bullet Machine

The Centerfold Girls

Chained Heat

Chappaqua

College Girls

The Curious Female

The Dark

Dark Star

Delinquent Schoolgirls

The Deadly Spawn...

The blokes and birds at Grimm Up North in Manchester, England, are hosting a "Samurai Splatter" double bill of Shogun Assassin and Baby Cart to Hades next Friday, February 17th, and we have all the details right here!

Shogun Assassin Synopsis:

Censored, banned, bootlegged, mistreated, but ultimately unstoppable, this is unquestionably the most popular samurai film in the West since the days of Akira Kurosawa. The chanbara classic was lifted from a hugely popular comic book saga and, still wet, transferred glistening to the screen. After being framed for disloyalty to his clan lord, disgraced ronin Itto Ogami (with three-year-old son Daigoro in tow) travels medieval Japan as the most skilled samurai-for-hire bar none. But as the treachery and obstacles in his latest mission quickly pile up, Ogami is forced to handle it the only way he knows how. Filled with memorable setpieces, iconic characters, and violent action, this series...

Italy’s Dylan Dog is interesting in that it is one of the first foreign comics adapted by Americans for the big screen. With the video release of the little seen feature film coming July 26, we were given to consider the foreign comics we know as readers and may have never seen the film versions. The first adaptation of Dylan Dog was a homegrown effort, 1994’s Dellamorte Dellamore (known in English as Cemetery Man or Of Death and Love) from director Michele Soavi.

Other countries have tried their hand at adapting their homegrown comics as films, with about the same level of fidelity and success as most American attempts. For example, there the dreadful 1966 movie based on Peter O’Donnell’s brilliant Modesty Blaise. Not to be outdone in awfulness, America tried their hand at a prime time series, starring Ann Turkel. The 1982 ABC pilot aired and got some reasonable...

Yes, my dear Londoners, it's that time of the month again, and I'm just the enthusiastic messenger from across the pond. Let's see what Cigarette Burns has in store...- Shogun Assassin - 16th April 11.30 at the Rio Cinema in Dalston -From the troubled times of 16th century Japan, Cigarette Burns Cinema brings you none other than the previously banned Shogun Assassin.  Our story follows a father and son team as they slice and dice their way through a tale full of vengeance, martial arts sword play and fountains of blood. Upon release in 1983, the Home Office was appalled by the violence and promptly rejected this, now classic film. Shogun Assassin was created for the Western market. Taking Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of...

By Spencer Lloyd Peet (www.slpeet.com)

Eureka! Entertainment Ltd has released a Blu-ray and DVD combined two-disc limited edition dual format steelbook of the cult classic blood-spurting Japanese/American film Shogun Assassin. Hailed in the West as one of the most popular samurai films ever, it is a spectacular representation of violence in film as an art form.

The film depicts the story of ronin Itto Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama) and his son Daigoro (Akihiro Tomikawa). After the deranged Shogun has Ogami’s wife murdered in an exercise to test the samurai’s loyalty, Ogami abandons his role as official decapitator and, with son in tow who now travels in a wooden cart affixed with hidden lethal weapons, takes up the life of a paid assassin. Lone Wolf and Cub now wander among the wilderness of ancient Japan constantly fending off attacks by ninja spies hired by the Shogun. The...

The production concept behind Shogun Assassin is one that would often immediately put film fan’s noses out of joint but Shogun Assassin is a much loved film and with good reason. Essentially a re-edit and re-dubbing of the first two feature film instalments in the Lone Wolf & Cub series Shogun Assassin was produced as a ‘brand new’ feature for the Us market in 1980.

The film contains approximately twelve minutes of the first Lone Wolf film, Sword of Vengeance, and approximately seventy-five minutes from the second film, Baby Cart at the River Styx (both directed by Kenji Misumi). Director Robert Houston splices various sequences from these films together to create one film that obviously bears a lot of similarities but simplifies and removes plot points in places and drastically alters dialogue. Hiring deaf people to guess at what the characters could be saying Houston then took these approximations and rewrote the script,...

There's just too much awesome/crazy in this story to be believed.

RZA, aka Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, has been trying to get The Man With The Iron Fist made for quite some time now. No, it's not based on Danny Rand, the Marvel Comics character, but rather it's set in feudal China and concerns, as best as I can tell from the scattered information available, a village defending itself from marauders. RZA and the rest of the Wu Tang Clan have long had a fascination with martial arts films, and it permeates their music constantly. Gza's Liquid Swords, one of RZA's finest production credits, is interspersed with samples from the 1980 Shogun Assassin. He's also fairly prolific in movie soundtracks -- he did the scores and music for both Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai and Afro Samurai, among others. Dude is seriously one of the busiest people in the industry.

Russell Crowe will display 36 styles of danger when he co-star's with The RZA in the razor-sharp rapper's first outing as director, The Man With the Iron Fist. The '70s-style kung fu tribute film was developed by RZA alongside cohorts Quentin Tarantino (for whom he scored Kill Bill) and Eli Roth, who is also a co-writer. The two previously starred together on American Gangster and Paul Haggis' upcoming The Next Three Days.

Like many of the classic Shaw Brothers pictures, Iron Fist takes place in feudal China, where RZA will play a town blacksmith who is also a weapons expert. Expect all manner of flying guillotines and bloody swordfights to erupt, but so far the musician ain't singing about what Crowe's role will be.

"I won't spoil it for you, but Russell's gonna be the baddest man alive," RZA told E! Online. "That man is in fighting shape. That man will knock you out.

This week on DVD and Blu-ray I get to re-watch one of the best TV shows of the last decade, see below:

Grab ‘Em Right Away

Lost – The Complete Series Blu-ray

Created by: J. J. Abrams

Starring: Matthew Fox, Naveen Andrews, Jorge Garcia, Josh Hollaway, Daniel Day Kim, Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly, Terry O’Quinn, Emile De Ravin, Michael Emerson, Dominic Monaghan & Henry Ian Cusick

Why should you buy this? Because (as I said above) it is one of the greatest TV shows of the past decade. It definitely doesn’t surpass my love for The Wire, but it hits a science-fiction/storytelling high that many one-hour dramas would love to reach. Not only does the show take it’s situation seriously, but it takes the treatment of its characters with such truth that you never feel taken advantage of. Even though I do have a few problems with some...

Looks like another uneventful Tuesday as far as DVD releases go. By far the biggest thing hitting stores this week is the final season of Lost and the Complete Collection box set, but other borderline noteworthy discs include The Back Up Plan starring Jennifer Lopez, the Australian thriller The Square starring Joel Edgerton, Dorian Gray starring Ben Barnes, and George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead. As for TV on DVD, there is also Season 13 of The Simpsons, season 2 of Pawn Stars, Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Collection, and the made-for-tv animated feature Turtles Forever (which is worth checking out if you're a Tmnt fan). All this plus The Asylum's magnificent unofficial sequel to James Cameron's Titanic! Will you be buying or renting anything this week? The Back Up Plan [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) The Square [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Survival of the Dead [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) City Island [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) Dorian Gray [9] (+ Blu-ray [10]) $5 a...