Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[prinnysquad]

Haven't seen Shaolin Prince. The poster looks like it has Derek Yee in it though, who was class in Shaolin Intruders. What copy of it do you have goldmouth?

[Finsbury Girl]

I watched a bit of American Ninja last night - I remember thinking this was AWESOME when I was about 7 or 8...but oh dear me what a horrible martial arts movie. The choreography was asolutely dire. I reckon I could do a better job!!!

[Finsbury Girl]

I wasnt best pleased with Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Stars & My Lucky Stars when i first watched them. i came back to them years later and really enjoyed them, cant remember which one but its got the guy from city hunter in as the end boss, typical wacky jackie flicks.

Richard Norton isn't it? Love his stuff - always plays a good bad guy in HK movies. Gotta love his 80s beard

[prinnysquad]

Mad Monkey Kung Fu

Last night's viewing. Just ... extraordinary.
A monkey fist expert (Lau Kar Leung) is laced with drinks by local gang boss Lo Leih. He is framed for an indiscretion, and forced to hand over his sister to Leih, as well as having his knuckles smashed so he wouldn't exact revenge.
A few years later, he is earning a living on the streets with a performing monkey. An urchin, Little Monkey (Hsiao Ho), befriends him, and eventually becomes his pupil, to exact revenge on unscrupulous money collectors and Leih himself.

Ho's acrobatics are simply breathtaking, truly remarkable. There's not a great deal of tough ass, brutal kicking; more flowing, cheeky, inventive action. The film is mostly comedic, but it's good quality for a fu film, with humorous subtitles on the IVL R3 version we watched. There's some stunning sequences in the street and brothel with Ho flinging himself all over the place. I'd say that even if you can't stand the comedy, and the light tone of the film, you'll end up gawping at the action. Especially some of the later training sequences with Leung, who's rapidly becoming my favourite director in the genre.

[goldmouth]

@ prinny - Twas just a bog vhs copy i happened upon at the market.

Yesterday i conquered:

Bodyguards and Assassins - A Donnie Yen film with not enough Donnie Yen

Mulan - The live action version...with not enough action, but ive seen the female lead in other stuff...? cant quite remember any though

The Iron Bodyguard - Kuan Tai Chen smashes all the bad guys! Your classic "we need to save china, its time for a revolution"

Tonight we have 13 Cold Blooded Eagles! This ones guna be good

[prinnysquad]

lol never seen any of them. You should hook your vhs up and covert them onto dvd-rs!

[goldmouth]

thats a plan! is the hardware expensive? the gems are the old vhs's

[monel]

I haven't converted my old vhs tapes but apparently it doesn't cost much. There's a couple of ways you can do it I think.

[goldmouth]

@Shinobi - I'de be well up for trying, maybe when im a rolling in wealth.

Watched Clan of The White Lotus yesterday, good watch, odd formula though. Normally guy A beats guy B, B swears revenge, B challenges A, gets beaten then goes to train, then when B is strong he smashes A, end of film. But this flick had 3 training bits, so there was 3 fights between A and B, not your normal tail of love hate and betrayal.

Also the main protagonist is called Bushy Brows, and the first fight scene is composed of loads of special moves aimed straight at the eyebrows! smash! thats the critical spot

[prinnysquad]

Is that the film where the main guy is kicking the **** out of a load of paper men?

[goldmouth]

the very one! full of origami acrobatics!

[prinnysquad]

Yeah, great film that one. Really fast brawling, I seem to remember.

You should defo transfer your vhs stuff to dvdr. And send me copies. lol.

[vanpeebles]

Burbur bless you! The two films to discuss. Last night I watched Abbot White and tonight Iron Monkey.

Abbot White looked a very interesting story about a young monk who is possessed by the spirit of an evil fighter. The dubbing was appalling and completely let the film down. It had the chinese soundtrack which was then turned down during speech so some chinese actors could read engrish style dubbing cards. This wouldn't have been too bad but the sound was so muffled and hard to hear. Subtitles would of saved it.

It had some superb fights though with some crazy moves including a detached flying hand, and some invisibility modes. Plus an old boy with a kind of turtle shell back that flew off to attack. Still it was all easy enough to follow and the action was worthwhile.

So then Iron Monkey, a young lazy playboy basks in the glory of his father, a once great warrior who is now an anti Qing rebel. He returns home after a session at the local casino to find the Generals troops have captured and killed his whole family. He manages to escape and is found living in the rough by a monk who takes him in at the Shaolin Temple.

At the temple he learns the basics of Kung Fu and then Monkey Fist off a hardcore Monk. With his newfound skills he then sets out to seek revenge on the Qing from the inside by taking a position as an officer.

Quite a strange film this, very much a straight laced dynasty film. No iron techniques and the Monkey style was very subdued compared to the usual monkey style of jumping all over. Standard fare but very watchable. Kam Kong/King Kung put in a good shift as the General too.

Burbur bless you!

[prinnysquad]

I suppose that's acceptable.
Watch you don't get bummed out by films before Friday!

I think another Shaw??? Or maybe that river boat cheapy.

[goldmouth]

those sound like good films, i really like all the crazy attacks that the fighters have, i watched Snake in Eagles Shadow the other day and at the end all JC movies are accompanied but the sound of cats fighting!

Havent seen Iron monkey though, at least not that one, am i right in saying thats the one released in the 70's and not directed by Yuen Woo-ping?