Cine-Asia UK Brings Bruce Lee to DVD and YAMADA: WAY OF THE SAMURAI to Blu-ray January 2012

It's been a while since I've posted Cine Asia news, but I'm glad I've finally got the time since they have some great new acquisitions and HK Legends re-releases on the horizon.  I'm going to start with January, since it brings us some long out of print Bruce Lee films and one new martial arts film.  First up is the Thai martial arts film Yamada: Way of the Samurai, also known as The Samurai of Ayothaya, directed by Nopporn Watin and starring Seigi Ozeki:

Get ready for hard-hitting, hi-impact fight action from the cinematic tradition that brought you Ong-Bak and The Warrior King.

Set in the ancient Kingdom of Ayothaya, this incredible true story brings to life the adventures of Yamada Nagamasa, a young Japanese Samurai warrior, who gave up his homeland to protect the sovereignty of the Thai people. Betrayed and left for dead by treacherous Japanese forces, he finds a new family in a remote village and masters the devastating fighting art of Muay Boran (Thai boxing).

Fearless, he ascends to the royal bodyguard of King Naresuan The Great, but will soon face his greatest ever battle against the elite Japanese warriors he once regarded as brothers...

Special Features:

- DTS HD Master Audio Thai 5.1 with English Subtitles
- Dolby Digital Thai 2.0 with English Subtitles
- Audio Commentary by Bey Logan
- Masters of the Ring Cine Asia Exclusive featurette
- Deleted Scenes
- Trailer Gallery

Then there is a trio of Bruce Lee re-issues from the HK Legends days, The Big Boss, Game of Death, and Game of Death 2.

Witness the movie debut of the greatest action star that ever lived as Bruce Lee tears up the screen in The Big Boss!

Lee is Cheng, the new boy at an ice factory, which is in fact a front for a drug trafficking ring. Having lost friends and family to this gang, Cheng decides to bring them to justice with his deadly and incredible displays of Wing Chun. However, Lee's going to have to survive a factory of henchmen before he can even challenge the big boss in a fight to the death.

Special Features:

- Digitally re-mastered and restored from a High Definition Transfer
- 2:35:1 Anamorphic version enhanced for widescreen TV's
- Dolby Stereo & Original Mono Audio Tracks (Cantonese and English)
- Dual Language Format (Cantonese and English)
- Feature Length Audio Commentary with Bruce Lee expert Andrew Staton and Will Johnston
- Promotional Gallery
- UK Platinum Trailer
- UK Promotional Trailer
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Hong Kong Promotional Trailer
- Rare Uncut 8mm Trailer
- Original 35mm Title Sequence
- Textless 35mm Title Sequence
- Original Lobby Cards
- The History of The Big Boss: A Photographic Retrospective
- Deleted Scenes Examined: The Story of the Elusive Uncut Print
- Bruce Lee Biography
- Paul Heller: Breaking The West
- Fred Weintraub: A Rising Star
- Tom Kuhn: What Might Have Been

Directed by Enter the Dragon's Robert Clouse, the full uncut 1978 version features Bruce Lee as Billy Lo, a martial arts master on the run from a vicious crime syndicate, who will stop at nothing to secure his formidable talents.

Game of Death Now re-instated is the incredible one-on-one nunchaku battle between Bruce Lee and top student Dan Inosanto, which conceptually is totally unique to this movie. In addition, this amazing package also features over twenty-five minutes of incredible footage previously 'lost', as well as revealing interviews with George Lazenby, Dan Inosanto, Taky Kimura, Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung.

Special Features:

- Digitally re-mastered and restored DVD transfer
- 2:35:1 Anamorphic version enhanced for widescreen TV's
- Feature length audio commentary with Bey Logan
- Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
- Bruce Lee trailer archive
- Deleted scenes from 1978 edition
- Rare photo archive (including production stills, posters and original lobby card artwork)
- Legacy of the Dragon (exclusive documentary on Bruce Lee and the Game of Death phenomenon)
- History of Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee's fighting art)
- Biography showcase for principal stars
- Game of Death Re-visited featurette - 40 minute edit of the original Game of Death footage in accordance with Bruce Lee's script notes
- Dan Inosanto Jeet Kune Do Seminar
- Game of Death Retrospective
- Interview Gallery
- Fully Animated Menus

From Ng See Yuen, the legendary producer of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Drunken Master, this non-stop martial arts showcase is a dynamic tribute to Bruce Lee and the GAME OF DEATH phenomenon. Travelling to Japan to investigate the mysterious murder of his brother, Bobby Lo (Tong Lung) discovers a secret trail, which leads to the mysterious Tower of Death. A forbidden fortress, buried hundreds of feet under the earth, it's deadly secret is guarded by elite warriors, each championing a different style of combat.

To bring his brother's killer to justice, and discover the Tower's secret, Lo must first run the gauntlet of death, from which no-one has ever returned alive! Taking over three years to complete, GAME OF DEATH 2 is choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping, action-director of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and features the formidable kicking skills of legendary Korean Tae-kwon-do master, Hwang Jang Lee (Drunken Master). Now restored and re-mastered for the first time ever!

Special Features:

- Digitally re-mastered and restored DVD transfer
- 2:35:1 Anamorphic version enhanced for widescreen TV's
- Feature length audio commentary with Bey Logan and co-star Roy Horan
- Trailer Gallery including original theatrical trailer with rare deleted footage from Enter the Dragon
- Dolby Digital Audio (Cantonese original and English dub)
- Biography Showcase
- Production Photo Gallery
- Deleted footage Archive
- Interview Gallery with Roy Horan and Korean kicking expert Casanova Wong
- Fully Animated Menus

The Bruce Lee features street on 23rd January and Yamada hits store shelves on 30th January.