Pyun, Albert

Cyborg

Jean-Claude Van Damme a.k.a. "the Muscles from Brussels" had only a few movies to his credit when he played the hero in this lame postapocalyptic action flick from 1989. It is really just another martial-arts movie dressed down with near-future trash and dirty sets that have "low budget" written all over them. Van Damme plays the protective escort for a half-human half-cyborg woman whose programming contains a possible cure for a plague that has threatening to wipe out the entire population of Earth. But the woman is kidnapped by Van Dammes evil nemesis (is there any other kind?) while they are en route to her Atlanta headquarters. That leads Van Damme right into a lions den of sadomasochistic torture and torment. If you have made it this far (and if you have why?) you are probably a founding member of the Jean-Claude Van Damme fan club. To everyone else: Do not say you were not warned--this is the kind of movie in which naming characters after electric guitars (Van Dammes character is named "Gibson Rickenbacker") qualifies as clever screenwriting. System Requirements:Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme et al. Director: Albert Pyun Edition Details: Region 1 encoding (for use in US and Canada only) Color Closed-captioned Widescreen AC-3 Theatrical trailer(s) Full-screen and widescreen letterbox formats Number of discs: 1 Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: SCI-FI/FANTASY Rating: R UPC: 027616656124

Jean-Claude Van Damme, a.k.a. "the Muscles from Brussels," had only a few movies to his credit when he played the hero in this lame postapocalyptic action flick from 1989. It's really just another martial-arts movie, dressed down with near-future trash and dirty sets that have "low budget" written all over them. Van Damme plays the protective escort for a half-human, half-cyborg woman whose programming contains a possible cure for a plague that's threatening to wipe out the entire population of Earth. But the woman is kidnapped by Van Damme's evil nemesis (is there any other kind?) while they are en route to her Atlanta headquarters. That leads Van Damme right into a lion's den of sadomasochistic torture and torment. If you've made it this far (and if you have, why?), you're probably a founding member of the Jean-Claude Van Damme fan club. To everyone else: Don't say you weren't warned--this is the kind of movie in which naming characters after electric guitars (Van Damme's character is named "Gibson Rickenbacker") qualifies as clever screenwriting. --Jeff Shannon

Kickboxer 2

In Kickboxer we saw how Kurt Sloan (Jean Claude Van Damme) was victorious in his fight against the brutal Tong Po (Michel Qissi). But Tong Po is not so easily defeated and in a burst of rage guns down the champion as he prepares to leave Thailand. For Tong Po's manager Sangha this is a disgrace that he cannot bear for the kickboxing championship can't be regained unless he can goad Kurt's younger brother David (Sasha Mitchell) into the ring to fight Tong Po for the title. Under the watchful eye of his brother's trainer Xian (Dennis Chan) he must enter the ring and face the lethal kickboxing skills of Tong Po risking everything including his life to avenge the insane violence of the deadly Thai fighter.System Requirements:Starring Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa Dennis Chan Heather McComb John Diehl Michel Qissi Peter Boyle Sasha Mitchell Vince Murdocco Directed by Albert Pyun Running time: 90 minutes Copyright Lion's Gate 2003Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 031398837428 Manufacturer No: 15614

Nemesis

In the industrial wasteland just outside of Los Angeles, circa 2027, there's a covert war raging between the cyborgs and the humans. "86.5% is still human," insists superagent Alex (Jean-Claude Van Damme wannabe Olivier Gruner, complete with kickboxing credentials and thick Euro-warble), but as the cyborg conspiracy builds around him he discovers that humanity is more than simply a matter of flesh and blood. Borrowing elements from Blade Runner, The Terminator, Escape from New York, and The Road Warrior, and looking ahead to digital "data couriers" of Johnny Mnemonic, director Albert Pyun turns the sci-fi spy story into an engine for a visceral thrill ride of sleekly designed action sequences driven by a dancing camera and a breakneck editing rhythm. It's a glorious triumph of style over substance, the vigorous pace leaving the story far behind and nimble set pieces belying a tiny budget with ambitious action choreography and impressive displays of property damage. Apart from a few clumsy special effects at the conclusion and the requisite collection of scene-chewing performances, Nemesis is a thoroughly entertaining piece of sci-fi trash, a classic example of cinematic energy overcoming the obstacles of plot. --Sean Axmaker

Ticker

When a mad bomber (Dennis Hopper) descends on San Francisco it's up to two men to uncover his plot and find the massive bomb hidden somewhere in the city. Steven Seagal stars as the Zen leades of the bomb squad and Tom Sizemore is a vice cop out for vengeance. Featurning special appearance by pop sensation Chilli.

Kickboxer 3 The Art of War / Kickboxer 4 The Aggressor

The Sword and the Sorcerer

Lean, lanky Lee Horsley (TV's Matt Houston) is hardly the iconic image of a medieval warrior, but in this cheesy Conan the Barbarian knockoff he makes his swaggering, mercenary Talon a genial smart aleck of a barbarian hero. The plot is pure pulp cliché: evil Cromwell (Richard Lynch) raises a demon to conquer a peaceful kingdom, kill the rulers, and imprison the royal heirs, and the son of a murdered patriot returns to take his righteous vengeance with a projectile-loaded, three-bladed sword. First-time director Albert Pyun apprenticed under Akira Kurosawa and brings with him an eye for handsome images and a fluid sense of action that helps overcome B-movie dialogue ("Unlock this door, wench, and leave that to us!"), scenery-chewing performances, and bargain-basement budget. In one fight sequence a guard punches a rock wall--and dents it! Kathleen Beller (the dark-eyed beauty of The Betsy) is the rebel princess who enlists Talon to the cause, Route 66's charming wanderer George Maharis is a conniving traitor under an unflattering mop of greasy hair, and Richard Moll dons a latex monster mask to play the double-crossed demon. It's utterly silly and often awkward, but it does have energy to spare. The sequel promised at the end of the film was never produced and Pyun went on to direct some of the best straight-to-video action films of the 1990s, including Nemesis. --Sean Axmaker

Adrenalin: Fear the Rush

This pulse-pounding action-adventure stars dynamic screen hero Christopher Lambert (HIGHLANDER I, II, & III) as a hard-edged police officer locked in a desperate do-or-die race against time! Teamed with a rookie cop (sexy Natasha Henstridge -- SPECIES, MAXIMUM RISK), he must quickly track down a savage murderer who threatens the world. But when the chase leads inside the killer's dungeon, the hunters find they have become the hunted! Suddenly, they are forced to save themselves -- and the rest of humanity -- in the ultimate confrontation!

Left for Dead

The west goes gruesome in this gunslinging terror ride into the town of Amnesty. The small town is a shattered shell empty of all life except Mobius a vengeful killer who cuts down anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. But Clem is coming to town - and she and her posse are not going to go quietly... System Requirements:Running Time: 87 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/REVENGES Rating: NR UPC: 031398226628 Manufacturer No: 22662

Alien from L.A.

Supermodel Kathy Ireland stars in this wild and sexy fantasy-adventure as an L.A. loner stranded in the underground the real underground! A fast-paced and funny visual feast this spoof of Jules Verne s Journey to the Center of the Earth is a nonstop trip to fun and excitement!Social misfit Wanda (Ireland) is devastated when her boyfriend dumps her because she "lacks a sense of adventure." To prove him wrong she goes in search of her missing father and before long finds herself in a bizarre underground world where crazy subterranean creatures think she s a spy and want her dead! Thwarting them at every turn Wanda discovers an inner strength she never knew she had. But if the denizens of the underground have their way she ll never find her father or see the light of day in sunny Malibu again!System Requirements:Running Time: 87 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: PG UPC: 027616896575 Manufacturer No: 1005336

Invasion

A meteor carrying an unknown infection lands outside a small Californian community bringing terror and death. Just after midnight a local rancher named Larry Jenkins discovers the meteor and calls the police. Inspector Bardo is sent to the scene to investigate. The small Lawton police department is shorthanded as it is the night of the high school prom. Arriving at a desolate forest road miles out of town Bardo discovers that Jenkins has been infected by the alien organism. The officer is savagely attacked and infected. Both men head towards Lawton terrorizing and contaminating everyone they encounter. Meanwhile Cheryl and Timmy have left the prom and are parked atop Lover's Lane. Bardo comes upon the lovebirds and attacks them infecting Timmy. Now Cheryl must run for her life through the pitch-black forest escaping her pursuers and trying to reach the authorities before the infection spreads to L.A.System Requirements:Run time: 81 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/SUPERNATURAL Rating: R UPC: 031398222569 Manufacturer No: 22256