Filthy Review - 'Tai Chi Zero'

Tai Chi Zero (2012)

Review by Jude Felton

The fact that I have said it before does not mean that I won’t say it again, and no doubt again in the future; Well Go USA are the company right now for Asian cinema. Even if the odd duffer slips through the cracks, you can rest assured that it will be followed by two or three crackers. The fact that they seem to be releasing a new Blu-ray every other week is just an added bonus!

Filthy Review - 'Dead Sushi'

Dead Sushi (2012)

Review by Jude Felton

Chances are, if you are going to watch a film directed by Noburu Iguchi, you will have a rough idea of what to expect. You won’t get a deadly serious, deep and meaningful script, but you will get balls-to-the-wall, action, gore and a good variety of weird and wonderful imagery. His films are an acquired taste, of that there is no doubt, so when you come across a film entitled Dead Sushi don’t go in expecting anything other than utter mayhem.

Filthy Review - 'Junkie'

Junkie (2012)

Review by Jude Felton

When you think of the films directed by Adam Mason, you probably think of dark horror movies such as Broken, the excellent Blood River or even the one take tour de force, Pig. You probably aren’t thinking comedy, yet this is exactly what his latest directorial outing is, although this isn’t your typical comedy. Instead, Junkie is a comedy with a black heart and a very twisted sense of humor. Better buckle up, because this ride will mess with your head.

Obey your master! 'The Master' Blu-ray and DVD release news

February 26th will see Anchor bay and The Weinstein Company release the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated The Master onto Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and DVD. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who quite frankly makes terrific movies, and starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the film is about a character called The Master "who creates a new belief system which catches on with other lost souls." More details on the release, as well as stills and the new trailer can be found after the break.

Jeff Nichol's 'MUD' trailer should grab your attention

And why should it grab your attention? You may ask. Well, MUD is the follow-up feature film from Jeff Nichols, who wrote and directed the excellent Take Shelter, and that's more than enough reason to get me excited. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and the returning Michael Shannon. Check out the new trailer, and full synopsis, after the break. Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions will be releasing MUD on April 26th.

Poster for US theatrical and VOD release of 'The Sweeney'

The new version of The Sweeney will hit theaters and VOD on March 1st from eOne, and as you can see the new poster has debuted. The film is directed by Nick Love and stars Ray Winstone and Ben (Plan B) Drew, and I can't wait to see it. I'm a big fan of the original The Sweeney, which starred John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, from the 70s', so hopefully we'll get plenty of slags and bastards!

Filthy Music Review - 'Holy Grail: Ride the Void'

Holy Grail – Ride the Void (2013)

Prosthetic Records

Review by Jude Felton

With so many sub-genres within sub-genres in modern Metal music it is easy to get lost. Quite frankly I have given up with trying to work out what is what, as I am sure there will be another one along soon enough. With Californian band Holy Grail though, this is not an issue; they deliver good old fashioned Heavy Metal, albeit with a modern twist. Ride the Void, which is their second full-length album, delivers everything you could want from a classic Metal album, with no frills, just great tunes.

Music News: Imperium Dekadenz' reveal new album details and artwork

Imperium Dekadenz, who hail from Germany's Black Forest, have revealed the artwork (which you can see above) and details of their forthcoming new album, Meadows of Nostalgia. The Black Metal band promise that the album will be a 'desolate and morose journey' and it hits the stores on March 19th in North America. It will be available on CD and limited deluxe double LP (limited to 250 copies).

Filthy Review - 'Taken 2'

Taken 2 (2012)

Review by Jude Felton

It would appear that director Olivier Megaton, who still has one of the coolest names in film, is Luc Besson’s go to man when Pierre Morel isn’t available. Morel directed both The Transporter, The Transporter 2 and Taken, but who stepped in to direct The Transporter 3 and Taken 2? Yep, that man Megaton. The problem with this is that both the first two Transporter movies and Taken were damned good entertainment. Sure, they lacked any real substance, but they delivered in the excitement department. The Transporter 3 didn’t have this, in fact I can’t remember a whole lot about it, and now we have Taken 2, of which I am sorry to say continues the poor sequel trend.

'The Bay' UK Theatrical Trailer debuts

Barry Levinson's eco-thriller The Bay will be hitting UK theaters on March 1st from Momentum Pictures, and I have just got the new trailer to share with you. 

V/H/S is coming to VHS in the US!

The horror anthology V/H/S has definitely divided audiences so far, with me being on the side that enjoyed it (mostly). However, I am sure you'll agree that V/H/S being released on the format that the film is based on is, aside from no surprise, very cool. The full release details from Magnet have yet to be announced, and I will post those once I know them, so in the meantime you can check out the picture above, and trailer below.

'The Last Exorcism Pt 2' Second trailer debuts

Alongside The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, The Last Exorcism Pt 2 seems to be vying for the most illogical title award. Regardless of that, the second trailer for The Last Exorcism Pt 2 has just debuted. The film will be released theatrically on March 1st from CBS Films, and continues from where the first film left off.

'Dead Sushi' Limited theatrical run and DVD/Blu-ray release details

Noboru Iguchi's Dead Sushi will be having a limited one-week theatrical run at the Downtown Independent in Los Angeles, ahead of its DVD and Digital release from Millenium Entertainment and Action Slate. It will play theatrically from January 18th (this Friday) and hit DVD, Digital and Blu-ray, exclusively from Best Buy, on January 22nd. More details on the theatrical run can be found here.

New stills from 'The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia'

The mysteriously titled The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia will be hitting theaters on March 14th, and it will be R rated (!), and I have a few new stills to share with you. You can also check out the trailer below. The film stars Chad Michael Murray and is directed by Tom Elkins, and will be released by Lionsgate and Gold Circle Films.

Trailer debuts for After Dark Originals 2's 'Dark Circles'

Cast your eyes down after the break and you can check out the new trailer for Dark Circles. Written and directed by Paul Soter, from Broken Lizard, Dark Circles is one of the upcoming After Dark Originals 2 releases.

Music News: 'Mutilation Rites' announce Spring tour and new website

Brooklyn based Black Metal band Mutilation Rites have just announced a Spring tour with recent Relapse signings, Inter Arma. The tour kicks off in Chicago on March 10th and is in support of their debut record for Prosthetic Records, entitled Empyrean. Full details, along with tour dates can be found below.

Hideo Nakata's 'Death Game' coming to UK DVD

[I have just found out that the release date has been put back. When a new date is announced I will let you know.]

March 4th will see the DVD release, in the UK, of Hideo Nakata's Death Game. Nakata is probably most famous for his Ring movies, so I will be eager to check this out. It's being sold as Big Brother meets Battle Royale, which sounds like a tempting combination to me. Time will tell though. More details and stills can be found below. Death Game will be released by MVM Entertainment.

Danish drama 'Borgen' Season 2 and Box Set to hit Blu and DVD

Arrow Films' Nordic Noir imprint have really been delivering the Scandinavian goods of late. Unit One and The Killing have been recent releases, and on February 4th they will be releasing The Complete Second Season of Borgen on Blu-ray and DVD. This two disc set follows Birgitte Nyborg in this Bafta winning political drama. Also being released is the Box Set containing Season 1 & 2. More details below.

Animated Sci-Fi Lesbian Rock Musical 'Strange Frame' coming to DVD

Coming to DVD on March 19th (and Digital on February 5th) is the world's first animated Sci-Fi lesbian rock musical, Strange Frame. Featuring the voice talents of Tim Curry and George Takei, among others, the film is directed by G.B. Hajim and will be released by Wolfe Video. More info and stills below. The DVD will feature two behind the scenes featurettes and a deleted scene.

Filthy Review - 'Wake in Fright'

Wake in Fright (1971)

Review by Jude Felton

Wake in Fright was made way back in 1971, it had a short theatrical run in the States, going by the name of Outback, and then apparently vanished. It didn’t just disappear from theaters, it seemingly went walkabout, never to be seen again. Fortunately it has been found, as you can see, and you owe it to yourself to watch this brutally stark slice of Australian cinema.

Filthy Review - 'I Didn't Come Here to Die'

I Didn’t Come Here to Die (2010)

Review by Jude Felton

We’ll get this out of the way right now; I don’t like the artwork for this DVD release, not one bit. There’s a good reason for it, well there’s a couple really, with the first being that I think we have all seen this girl before. In the same pose no less. It happened with last years’ Absentia, with the artwork being used on both sides of the Atlantic no less, which really dumbed down the first impression of the film, and she’s popped up on several other pieces of movie artwork of late; let her die already, poor lass. The second reason being is that it just does not do this gem of a movie any justice.

Filthy Review - 'I Am Bruce Lee'

I Am Bruce Lee (2011)

Review by Jude Felton

Everyone knows who Bruce Lee was, whether it was through his films, his incredible fighting skills or just the image of him in a yellow jump suit. His legacy is incredible and he has managed to transcend just about everything to become an almost mythical figure. My introduction to this amazing individual was through his final film, Enter the Dragon. I’d never seen a film like it, and it has set the standard for martial arts movies ever since. If it was not for Bruce Lee action cinema would be very different today.

Filthy Review - 'Django, Prepare a Coffin'

Django, Prepare a Coffin (1968)

Review by Jude Felton

As of writing this, Django is big news with Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained doing terrific business at the box office, and also nabbing itself a few Academy Award nominations. Having yet to see this film I can’t really cast any opinions on it, but to me Django will always be the bad-ass gunman of Italian cinema. Franco Nero played the character back in the original movie in 1966, and then returned for the official sequel in 1987, but the character of Django has appeared in around 30 movies over the years, with various actors portraying the role.