DETONATION: VIOLENT RIDERS 88 Films Blu-Ray Review: Japanese Biker Gangs Ride Fast And Live Faster In Teruo Ishii’s 1975 Classic
Coming to Blu-Ray from 88 Films on July 21.
sonny chiba
LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI Eureka Blu-Ray Review: Early Fukasaku At His Fantastic Finest
Hiroyuki Sanada, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi and more star in this incredible blockbuster classic from Eureka Entertainment!
BEAST FIGHTER – Eureka Blu-Ray Review: A Double-Fisted Dose Of Karate-Crazy Sonny Chiba Cinema
The BEASTFIGHTER box set is now available from Eureka Entertainment
Eureka Entertainment Line Up Sonny Chiba’s BEAST FIGHTER Films for A June Release
Eureka Entertainment continue their long line of stellar Blu Ray releases with the upcoung double-pack of Karate Bullfighter and Karate Bearfighter. Both films star the iconic Japanese badass, Sonny Chiba (The Street Fighter), and are based on the Manga, Karate Baka Ichidai, which ran 1971 to 1977 (and was later adapted into an anime series). Directed by Kazuhiko Yamaguchi, director of the fan favorite, Sister Street Fighter, the films focus on Masutatsu “Mas” Ōyama, the world reknowned karate master and Sonny Chiba’s real-life teacher: In Karate Bullfighter (or Champion of Death), a karate tournament is crashed by an enigmatic martial artist calling himself Ōyama (Chiba), who arrives in tattered rags and beats all who dare challenge him. But Ōyama’s entrance into the world of karate has unforeseen consequences, and soon he is fighting for far more than sporting victory. Then, in Karate Bearfighter, Ōyama is expelled from the karate community for refusing to pull his punches. With nowhere […]
ARROW Player Announces January Line-Up
It’s been a while since I dove into anything pertaining to the ARROW player. I can’t tap into my funds just yet to use it but the best thing about it is that you get to browse expansively through its library, and there’s plenty of titles for anyone keen on Asian niche titles and films suitable for the supernatural, suspense, horror and avant-garde cinephiles alike. You can download it to your mobile devices as you may, and even visit the official website for more information to whet your appetites before adding ARROW Player to your collective streaming experience. In the meantime, the streamer has also announced its January additions which you can view below, including the Lukas Moodyson collection, martial arts and action classics featuring Angela Mao and Sonny Chiba, works by Marlon Brando, and more. Peep the promo trailer from a few weeks ago, and read on: Arrow Video […]
In Memoriam: Sonny Chiba (1939-2021)
Thursday started off for a lot of us here in the morning with word that actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba reportedly passed away at the age of 82 from pneumonia related to Covid-19. Japanese outlets initially broke the news followed by trade sources confirming the updates thereafter, with further news circulating on social media. Chiba was an accomplished athlete and martial artist who began his career in entertainment around 1960, with a list of credits spanning over 100 film titles for Toei, notably including movies that would showcase his proficiency in martial arts and screenfighting in cult hits like Karate Warrior, Wolf Guy and The Street Fighter franchise; Some of his recent credits include Deadly Outlaw: Rekka, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift, and Ryuji Yamakita’s upcoming debut feature, Bond Of Justice: Kizuna. I personally haven’t seen enough out of Chiba’s filmography to write […]
Arrow Video’s THE SISTER STREET FIGHTER BLU-RAY COLLECTION Promo Is Here
I wonder if we’ll ever one day see a revival of some kind of either of the Sonny Chiba/Etsuko Shihomi Street Fighter franchises. At any rate though, there will always be the classics, and of course, Arrow Video now with its own stake in refurbished reprints with add-ons for the special features in its upcoming Blu-Ray set. I’m talking The Sister Street Fighter Collection which rolls out on the UK and the US on March 4 and March 5, respectively. Pre-orders are still up and avaialble while the good folks at Arrow have just put up its own summary promo for what fans can expect; the specs were announced back in January but feel free to tap and enlarge R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien’s key artwork below and scroll down for the details. Order in the UK: Arrow Films Order in the US: Diabolik DVD After the massive success of […]
THE STREET FIGHTER COLLECTION: Shout Factory Reveals New Blu-Ray Artwork And Release Date
I suppose following yesterday’s big artwork reveal of Arrow Video’s Sister Street Fighter Collection, it’s high time fans of good old-fashioned Toei action cinema fandom got their fair shake with the man who started it all, Sonny Chiba. Thus, leave it to Shout Factory to stir things with an announcement on Wednesday signaling their newest forthcoming bundle, The Street Fighter Collection. Copies are now up for the Ozawa Shigehiro-directed trilogy that gave rise to the landmark grindhouse titles celebrated by cinephiles everywhere. March 26 is the date for its release with pre-orders now live at Shout Factory and Amazon. Check out the artwork and read on: Synopsis “BRUTAL AND BRILLIANT … Fans owe it to themselves to go buy this. ****” – Empire Meet the meanest and most lethal karate master ever to rule the streets. He’s Sonny Chiba, one of the greatest martial arts actors to ignite the screen. […]
Arrow’s SISTER STREET FIGHTER BLU-RAY COLLECTION Spotlight’s New Release Artwork And Key UK Release Details
It’s always interesting to see how distro companies aim to maintain the posterity of classic movies. Toei’s Sister Street Fighter Collection is no exception – I actually bought mine from HKFlix when BCI/Eclipse had theirs released in 2006, and it’s not a bad package either Going forward, we’ll soon find out what entails the upcoming collection to be released this March as Arrow Video sets out to release its own reprisal of the hit Etsuko Shihomi-led franchise spun-off from action star Sonny Chiba’s inaugural hit Street Fighter series – also from Toei. In the meantime, Arrow Video has since already rolled out its initial Blu-Ray details via social media late last year. Following up this week, the company is also showcasing brand new commissioned artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien which can also be spotted at the official website, as well as important details pertaining to a key alteration […]
WOLF GUY Howls Online With A New Blu-Ray Promo From Arrow Video
Wolf Guy (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray + DVD] Once a rare classic never released outside of Japan, Yamaguchi Kazuhiro’s 1975 action horror sci-fi martial arts romp, Wolf Guy is getting the pristine treatment it deserves at Arrow Video. A new promo is now online ahead of its release following ticketed event screenings throughout the U.S. and the U.K. and with 2-disc Blu-Ray availability set for May 23, 2017. Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba is a martial arts “manimal” in the ultra-70’s, 100% bizarre mixture of horror, action and sci-fi that is Wolf Guy, one of the rarest and most sought-after cult films produced by Japan’s Toei Studio. Based on a manga by Kazumasa Hirai (creator of 8 Man), and never before released outside of Japan, it’s a genre film classic waiting to be discovered and a completely unclassifiable trip into phantasmagoric funk. Chiba stars as Akira Inugami, the only survivor of a […]
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