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John Woo's Red Cliff isn't just the most expensive Asian movie ever made, it's also an epic testament to history and actual wars that were waged on both land and sea. In China the film was four hours long and split into two parts, but American audiences are getting a 2.5 hour version that (unfortunately) has a lot trimmed out of it. There are massive battles, martial arts, trickery, and of course, doves. It is a John Woo film, after all. It is also awesome, and enough to make you forget that he directed Paycheck.

Check out the exclusive clip after the jump which features the initiation of the climactic clash between Cao Cao and Zhou Yu's forces. This is just one of three massive battles in the film which is available today on VOD, Amazon, and the Xbox, and will appear in theaters on November 18th. This movie marks a return of the old John Woo, and it's about time he came back. Let's just hope he'll give us a two-gun wielding Chow Yun-Fat one more time.

Head on after the break to watch the clip and then check out the movie, which is best described as 300 meets Hero with a dash of those huge battles from all of the Lord of the Rings films tossed in.

I've done reports on the After Dark horror series, the Asylum assembly line, and the monumentally moronic Maneater collection -- so I see nothing all that strange about throwing a little genre love towards Magnet's new Six-Shooter Series. (The only difference this time around is that we're going to be talking about GOOD genre films.)

To those who demand to know what the hell phrases like "Magnet Six-Shooter" mean, here's an explanation: Magnolia Films recently kick-started a genre-intensive division (called Magnet Releasing), and the guys are pretty psyched about their next six flicks. There, I've just demystified the phrase "Magnet Six-Shooter." You all owe me three dollars. And here's what's coolest about a six-flick genre series that's run by Magnolia Pictures: You'll actually get something EXOTIC out of the mix.

To use the finest example imaginable, it is Magnet Releasing that was lucky enough to land U.S. distribution rights for the stunningly awesome Let the Right One In, which is dazzling people all over the festival circuit. (And that was a great roll of the dice, as Magnolia grabbed it well before it was earning 5-star reviews across the board.) The film will open in limited release on October 24, but be sure to keep an eye out for the DVD as well. This flick is a keeper for sure.

Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of distributor Magnolia Pictures, has been busy adding to their slate. Earlier this month, Scott Weinberg reported their acquisition of Donkey Punch, a UK thriller involving "sea-bound debauchery that goes horribly wrong." More recently, Jette Kernion told us they had picked up Special, a movie "about a guy [Michael Rapaport] whose antidepressant makes him think he's a superhero."

Now indieWIRE is reporting that the label has secured North American rights to Let the Right One In, described as "romantic horror ... based on a best-selling novel by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist about a lonely twelve year-old boy and his friendship with a young girl, who appears to be a vampire." I wonder if he suspected anything when he tried to kiss her and she sprouted fangs? Or when her mother kept on telling him, "Don't come over until after nightfall!" Pure speculation on my part, of course. Tomas Alfredson directed; he previously made Four Shades of Brown, a comedy/drama that I found exhausting, so this looks like a good change of pace.

The film has played a couple of European festivals and was picked up by Magnet out of the European Film Market. It's due for release in its native Sweden in April and has already received good reviews (Variety, Twitch). I love the variety of films that Magnet Releasing has acquired so far, in addition to those noted above: titles from France (Eden Log), Spain (Timecrimes), Japan (Big Man Japan), and Chile (Kiltro, Mirageman). We'll keep an eye out for a release date for Let the Right One In.

Our pals from Magnolia Pictures were up at Sundance 2008 in support of their Timecrimes acquisition -- but it looks like someone from the distribution department caught a few of the midnight screenings: According to Variety, Magnolia Pictures has acquired Olly Blackburn's UK thriller Donkey Punch, and they plan to release it through their newly-created Magnet division. (You can check out my DP review right here at FEARnet.)

The story of some sea-bound debauchery that goes horribly wrong (think Very Bad Things, only not as absurdly amusing), Donkey Punch is a handsome and tight-knuckled chiller -- even if it is more than a little beholden to movies like Dead Calm and Shallow Grave. It's about seven young adults who take off on a stunningly massive yacht, but when one partier ends up (accidentally dead), it sets off a series of events that leaves most of other the partiers, well, dead. (It is a horror flick after all.)

Donkey Punch will open in the UK (courtesy of Optimum) some time this summer. No word yet on when Magnolia aims to unleash this one -- but bet on a very limited release pattern before the arrival of a satisfyingly packed DVD. Also on the horizon from Magnolia: Big Man Japan, The Signal, Kiltro, Mirageman, Eden Log and (of course) Timecrimes.