DVD - December 07

'Taitei No Ken' (The Sword Of Alexander) on English subtitled DVD!

Hooray! Director Tsutsumi Yukihiko’s action-filled ride ‘The Sword of Alexander’ is now on English friendly DVD! Based on a serial story by Yumemakura Baku, The Sword of Alexander (Taitei no Ken) is a rollicking period fantasy adventure, with Ninjas, warriors, magical weapons, and a couple of parasitic aliens. With genres colliding left and right, the film provides an overload of comedy, action, and fun. Hasegawa Kyoko (Ai no Rukeichi) plays the film's precocious princess, alongside a supporting cast that includes Kudo Kankuro (Thirteen Steps), Endo Kenichi (The Sinking of Japan), and Kuroki Meisa (Under the Same Moon).

Wandering swordsman Yorozu Genkuro (Abe Hiroshi) travels the world carrying the "Sword of Alexander". His sword is one of three sacred objects carved from Orichalcum, an other worldly metal that brings its owner superhuman powers. He who holds all three objects will rule the world, and Genkuro is on a quest to find the other two items - a cross and a dagger - and a man worthy of wielding such power. On the road, he rescues and befriends the lovely Princess Mai (Hasegawa Kyoko), who is on the run from the Tokugawa, her ninja bodyguard. This turns out to be the beginning of a myriad of troubles for Genkuro as there are a plenty of Tokugawa assassins and warriors, not to mention an alien-possessed bear hunter, all out to get the princess.

Sword of Alexander (Official Site)

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Danny Pang's 'In Love With The Dead' on DVD

Danny Pang's 'In love with the Dead' is up for pre order on DVD. Even though the film was listed as a "Thriller" for it's theatrical release, once you read the plot and watch the trailer theres no doubt Danny is still very much into horror movie making. 'In love with the Dead' arrives on DVD January 24th.

When Wai (Stephy Tang) is diagnosed with cancer, her loving boyfriend Ming (Shawn Yue) does everything he can to care for her. Along with Wai's little sister Ping (Zeng Qiqi), the family of three try to face the hardships together. But as Wai's health slowly deteriorates, her temperament becomes volatile, her actions odd and unnerving, reminding Ping of the ghost stories she likes to read. Ming takes solace in the company of his heartbroken co-worker, forming a painful triangle for all involved.

One rainy night, Wai disappears briefly and both Ming and Fong meet accidents. Afterwards, Wai, Fong, and even Ming himself act increasingly strange. Ming begins to suspect that not everyone returned home safely that night. In time, Ming notices abnormal physiological changes of himself. His hair falls out like Wai and most terrible thing is - he vomits dozen of living worms! There is a saying that sometimes a person can become a "living dead" without noticing ones own death, if he/ she has unfinished business in the living world.

In love with the Dead (Trailer)

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'Appleseed: Ex Machina' up for pre-order on R1 DVD

Director Shinji Aramaki returns with a sequel to his hit Anime of 2004 'Appleseed.' Produced by John Woo and featuring state of the art CGi 'Appleseed:Ex Machina' continues the saga of Deunan and Briareos, in their battle protect their city from Danger.

Synopsis: "Following the non-nuclear war that killed half the world's population, the city-nation of Olympus stands as a beacon of hope in a world of chaos and conflict. The utopian metropolis is governed by Gaia, a vast artificial intelligence, and administered by genetically engineered humanoids known as Bioroids, whose designer DNA suppresses strong emotions. Deunan and Briareos, are both members of E.S.W.A.T., the elite special forces serving Olympus, they are deployed whenever trouble strikes.

The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way by the arrival of a new member to their ranks - an experimental Bioroid named Tereus. Created by Gaia using DNA from Briareos, Tereus uncannily resembles Briareos before the wartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. Not only does this trouble Deunan, but Briareos's DNA gives Tereus more than top-notch fighting skills. At the same time, Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack by a mysterious cabal of scientists intent on imposing their own version of world peace upon the peoples of the world."

The official site for the R1 DVD release does have a teaser trail that unfortunately sports the deep, gravely and annoying tones of "Mr voiceover man." If like us you prefer trailers un-adulterated by his verbal presence, head over to the Japanese website for the pic here. 'Appleseed:Ex Machina' is released in March.

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Ang Lee's 'Lust,Caution' now on DVD!

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee returns to Chinese-language cinema for the first time since his award-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Based on a short story (18 Springs) by celebrated author Eileen Chang , 'Lust, Caution' is a tale of politics, love, deceit and murder. Starring Tony Leung and Asian-American actress Joan Chen, and featuring an amazing score from French composer Alexandre Desplat, 'Lust' is a powerful uncompromising work from one of the world's most accomplished modern filmmakers.

Lust, Caution trailer

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