New on home video, September 6-12

BATTLE OF THE WARRIORS (DVD – Dragon Dynasty)

Epic siege warfare erupts in this historical action drama, originally released as BATTLE OF WITS, where superstar Andy Lau plays a Mohist who leads the defense of a fortified city in ancient China against an invading army even as forces from within threaten to destroy him. Featuring gripping dramatic story with a plot twist or two and exciting action sequences choreographed by Hong Kong action director Tung Wei, this is one of the better costume epics to come out of China in recent years. Dragon Dynasty’s DVD release include original Mandarin 5.1 audio, audio commentary from Hong Kong movie expert Bey Logan and a making-of featurette.

BLOOD RAIN (DVD – Pathfinder)

This 2004 period action thriller from Korea is set in the 19th century, during a time when Christians were being persecuted, and concerns an official sent to investigate the burning of a transport ship carrying paper to the royal palace. During the investigation on a remote island, brutal murders begin happening that are related to a curse by a Catholic man whose entire family had been beheaded seven years prior. Locals fear ghosts of the dead are exacting revenge. The film features the action choreography of Jung Doo-hong (THE CITY OF VIOLENCE). Distributor Pathfinder Pictures suggests the film was made in the tradition of HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS but this is not a wuxia film at all. It comes with original Korean audio and optional English subtitles.

CATWOMAN (Blu-ray – Warner)

In an attempt to commit career suicide, Halle Berry stars in this widely panned superhero actioner that discards most of DC’s comic book lore surrounding the popular character and revels in levels of cheesy excess that would make BATMAN AND ROBIN director Joel Schumacher cringe, or maybe not. The film is noteworthy for offering Hollywood’s first big-budget, popcorn movie showcase of Afro-Brazilian performance and martial art capoeira. Now you can see Berry, or her double, performing capoeira in skin-tight leather in HD. The Blu-ray version comes with an alternate ending, additional scenes, two featurettes, and a trailer.

CHANBARA BEAUTY (DVD – Manga Entertainment UK)

Previously released in the U.S. by Media Blasters, this campy B-movie actioner from Japan comes to the U.K. It’s based on a popular video game series called ONECHANBARA where the player controls a bikini-clad female warrior armed with a samurai sword and tasked with cutting down endless waves of zombies in a post-apocalyptic future. For better or worse, the movie isn’t much different. Like its name suggests, Manga Entertainment mostly releases anime but they have a few other live-action films in their catalog including TOKYO ZOMBIE, TRIANGLE and ICHI.

CRANK 2: HIGH VOLTAGE (Blu-ray/DVD – Lionsgate)

One of the craziest actioners of the year comes to Blu-ray and DVD. Creators Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor ramp up their uniquely outrageous brand of action for this sequel that sees star Jason Statham portraying a man whose heart has been stolen by mobsters and replaced with a battery that needs constant charging. The filmmakers’ over-the-top style has endeared them to fans while sending critics running for cover. An eclectic cast includes Efren Ramirez, Dwight Yoakam, Bai Ling, the late David Carradine, Corey Haim, and Spice Girl Geri Halliwell among others. Lionsgate has released three versions; a standard DVD, a “Two-Disc Special Edition” DVD and a Blu-ray edition. The SE DVD and Blu-ray editions come with audio commentary from Neveldine and Taylor, a making-of documentary, several featurettes, a gag reel, wrap party footage, a trailer, and a digital copy of the film.

DORORO (DVD – MVM UK)

Based on a manga series by Osamu Tezuka, this fantasy actioner sees a revenge-seeking female warrior teamed up with a samurai to recover his 48 body parts from 48 demons. The film features the action choreography of Hong Kong action director Ching Siu-tung and contains a lot of B-grade visual effects. The film has been well received internationally, largely for strong performances from its two leads, Kou Shibasaki and Satoshi Tsumabuki. MVM’s U.K. DVD includes Japanese DTS and 5.1 audio, optional English subtitles, a featurette, deleted scenes, trailer, and stills gallery. DORORO is also available in the U.S. from Universal.

FREDDY VS. JASON (Blu-ray – New Line)

Who would have every thought back in 1993 that BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR director Ronny Yu would be helming this crossover of two of Hollywood most popular horror icons from the 1980s? Six years later he’s only done one other movie, Jet Li’s FEARLESS so I’m guessing he’s still spending the money he made on this one. New Line’s Blu-ray release comes with audio commentary by Yu and actors Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger. Also included are deleted and alternate scenes, image galleries, storyboards, a featurette, trailers, and a music video.

GLADIATOR (Blu-ray – Universal Pictures UK)

Ridley Scott’s excellent sword and sandal drama comes to the U.K. on Blu-ray, a week after it arrived in the U.S. (something I didn’t cover in my last home video report). This would normally be cause for celebration among HD enthusiasts but the internet is buzzing with sour reviews of the DreamWorks/Universal release on both sides of the pond with critics generally upset with the results of Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) that some observers have claimed has reduced image quality, partly by removing grain and other objects such as flaming arrows originally intended to be in the film. Much of the uproar is originating from the AVS Forum, a popular community site for discussing home theater equipment. This has subsequently spilled over to Amazon where users are flooding the GLADIATOR review section with complaints about the Blu-ray releases in the U.S. and U.K. AVS reviewer Ralph Potts weighs in more evenly by remarking that while video quality is “below the standard” it “does offer a discernible improvement over any previous home video release.”

The two-disc Blu-ray release comes with the original theatrical version (155 minutes) and an extended version (171 minutes). The first includes deleted scenes and an audio commentary with Ridley Scott, DP John Mathieson and editor Pietro Scalia. The extended version includes an introduction by Scott and another audio commentary with Scott and actor Russell Crowe. Disc two includes several hours of bonus content including a 200-minute documentary, numerous featurettes on various aspects of the production, deleted scenes, image galleries, and trailers.

LADY NINJA KAEDE 2 (DVD – Media Blasters)

Released on Media Blasters’ Exploitation Digital label, this Japanese pink film serves up sex, nudity and fantasy ninja action on a small budget. “The lives of many people were thrown into chaos during Japan’s Edo period. During all that mayhem, a religious cult was plotting a terrible conspiracy, and the story has remained secret until now. A lady ninja nun, concerned about the scheming, orders Kaede to infiltrate the cult. While successful, the skilled ninja agent is put under a spell by one of the priests, causing her to become feverish with lust over one of the cult’s relics. Her ultimate mission is to topple the secret organization, but will she be able to while handicapped by a desire that must be satisfied?”

POLICE STORY (Blu-ray – Kam & Ronson HK)

Jackie Chan’s stunt-filled action masterpiece arrives on Blu-ray in Hong Kong courtesy of Kam & Ronson. In the film, Chan is a police inspector framed for the murder of a fellow officer by a drug trafficker and must go outside of the law to bring the criminal down. This is one of Chan’s best films and contains truly amazing, world-class stunts that helped earn Chan a Best Picture award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. It spawned several sequels including the equally excellent POLICE STORY 3: SUPERCOP. Dragon Dynasty has a quality release of POLICE STORY out on DVD but this is the first HD release. It comes with Cantonese, Mandarin and Thai audio and optional English subtitles.

POWER RANGERS RPM VOL. 2: RACE FOR CORINTH (DVD – Walt Disney Studios)

With former Green Ranger Jason Frank in the news again because of his move into MMA, it seems appropriate to highlight the latest Power Rangers DVD release. POWER RANGERS: RPM is the 17th and most recent season in the popular children’s action TV series originating from Japan and partially re-shot for American audiences. “Get ready for pure racing excitement as the Power Rangers rev up the action against an evil army of mechanized ‘Grinders’ in VOLUME 2: RACE FOR CORINTH. Battling from the domed city of Corinth, Dr. K’s elite team of teenage heroes face the sinister Venjix Computer Network, which is intent on taking over the world’s communication and defense systems. Will the Power Rangers be able to master Dr. K’s high-tech Racing Performance Machines in time to save all mankind?”

PRODIGAL (DVD – Maverick Entertainment)

It’s the latest low-budget, indie actioner to make its way to DVD. Here’s what the distributor has to say about this film about a fighting former preacher. “PRODIGAL is the story of an ex-preacher (D. Al’deighmian Jackson) who finds himself estranged from his family and trying to escape his past. After a violent and death-defying escape, Jacob Divine takes his new wife back to his hometown where he discovers a new fight that threatens to draw him back into his dark tendencies. Filled with spectacular stunts and frenetically paced fight scenes, this multi-award winning film has raised the bar for all Workhorse projects to come.”

SANDOKAN THE GREAT (DVD – Televista)

Bodybuilder Steve Reeves, best known for his recurring role as Hercules in a series of sword and sandal film classics, is Sandokan, the son of a sultan struggling alone to fend off Queen Victoria’s army of invaders and rescue his father from kidnappers. This epic, Italian adventure film is based on a novel by Emilio Salgari and features loads of swashbuckling heroism in exotic locales with Reeves, who was never known for his acting, turning in one of his better performances, perhaps due to the film’s literary roots. The film spawned one sequel, SANDOKAN: PIRATE OF MALAYSIA. Both films appear to be in the public domain and have been previously released by budget labels in the U.S.

THE NAIL: THE STORY OF JOEY NARDONE (DVD – MTI Home Video)

This indie drama about a former boxer and ex-con who comes to the aid of a kid being physically abused by his father originally aired on premium cable network Showtime. “Struggling to get back into life after serving eight years in prison as a result of an accident, Joey Nardone (Tony Luke Jr.) takes a job at his old gym, but it’s in fighting for someone else’s future that the ex-boxer/ex-con begins to believe in his own. When Nardone takes a scrawny 14-year-old bully target named Jesus (Paul Orrantia) under his wing, both teacher and pupil blossom in this drama co-starring William Forsythe and Tony Danza.”

As a final note, Warner Home Video has reissued a number of their older films on DVD in standard plastic keep cases. Up to this point, Warner Bros. was one of the only major studios to release DVDs in those cheap cardboard cases. In fact, the first DVD I ever bought back in 1997 was Warner Home Video’s BLADE RUNNER in the same cheap case. Of their current run of keep case reissues, the two of note include Bruce Lee’s ENTER THE DRAGON, and the Dolph Lundgren fantasy actioner MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE.

Tags: Battle of Wits (2006), Blood Rain (2005), blu-ray, Catwoman (2004), Crank 2: High Voltage (2009), Dororo (2007), Dragon Dynasty, DVD, Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Gladiator (2000), Kam & Ronson, Lady Ninja Kaede 2 (2007), Lionsgate, Manga Entertainment, Maverick Entertainment, Media Blasters, MTI Home Video, MVM, New Line Cinema, Onechanbara (2008), Pathfinder Home Entertainment, Police Story (1985), Power Rangers: RPM [TV] (2009), Prodigal (2006), Sandokan the Great (1963), Televista, The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone (2009), Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Home Video