Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[monel]

I thought I had replied already but apparently not. About The Hot, The Cool and The Vicious,it's another film I thought I would like a lot due to it's reputation but at the time I simply thought it was OK. Perhaps I need to watch it again some day, also my mood on the day was probably a factor. A great film can snap me out of a bad mood sometimes, though.

I'm sure I had Fury In Shaolin Temple but I don't recall ever watching it.

Revenge Is Sweet sounds good but I rarely watch anything made pre-1976.

[prinnysquad]

I'd recommend rewatching Hot, Cool and Vicious. There's nothing particularly outstanding about it, or eyeopening, it's just a well put together Secret Rivals-era actioner. The story is slightly twisty but straightforward to understand - which is a thing so many kung fu films can't manage, due to a variety of factors. Sometimes it's putting all the characters in the same outfits with the same haircuts. Sometimes it's confusing editing. Other times it's a stupid script. But this film manages to be totally obvious and understandable, which is a strength of its narrative and film editing.

Reputations nearly always let you down Best off with a clean slate usually.

[monel]

I totally agree with your point about reputations, they always will leave you feeling underwhelmed, but they're also hard to avoid.

That's the exact reason I didn't like 5 Venoms when I first saw it all those years ago, although when I rewatched it a couple of years back I liked it much more, probably because I was expecting to not like it.

There's loads of films I feel are overrated, but then I feel some of my favourites are underrated.

[Mad Gear]

Heads up, Zavvi have loads of cine-asia DVD's n Blu-rays at rather nice prices - http://www.zavvi.com/offers/cine-asia.list

[prinnysquad]

That looks like a qualityCh1mP set of films!

7 Men of Kung Fu aka 7 Knights 8 Banners

A Manchu lackey constable, who is an eagle claw specialist (and swans around with an eagle on his shoulder), challenges various patriots who meet and plot their next move.

The cast is great. Chang Yi is a beast as the constable, and Phillip Ko, Chen Sing and Lo Lieh put in a decent show. But the plot ... pfft. Even with the decent subs, I can't remember much about this film, other than:

- Some good fights
- A load of sequences where the sound cuts out due to the crap print, which affected the custom subs.
- A couple of very odd bits that derail any sense of the film yoou are making to that point.
- An astonishingly surreal sequence in which Doris Lung (fit) is seen walking over the ridge of a hill, accompanied by a strange white faced zombie thing, with red circles painted on its cheeks. They kept appearing for about 5-10 seconds every few minutes in the final reel. VP thought they might be some kind of metaphor - the rapidly-defeated patriots becoming puppets to another power - the Ming puppet succumbing to the Manchu overlord. Which would have been quite clever. But, NO! It was a literal woman with a zombie, who fought a hero at the end, for absolutely no reason. Madness.

I couldn't recommend this as it made no sense. But I liked the fights, cast, atmosphere and sets.

[QualityChimp]

After Shinobi suggested it back in 2009, I've finally got around to watching Righting Wrongs/Above The Law starring Yuen Biao and Cynthia Rothrock.

I don't really know what I've been playing at waiting so long to see it, or how it's been off my radar all these years as it's absolutely brilliant!

The plot is ridiculous, but just sit back and join the ride. Yuen Biao is a lawyer who starts taking the law into his own hands after he sees his cases falling apart when all the witnesses are brutally wiped out. Cynthia Rothrock is the no-nonsense inspector trying to work out who's been taking out all these gang bosses. Corey Yuen is the slobby cop being dragged up to the potential that Rothrock knows he's got in him.

It's got several stunning set pieces including a car chase, fight in a car park, one of the best girl fights I've seen, a mahjong school dust-up, Biao Vs. an assassin and a brilliant finale fight.

In fact, I was watching the final battle thinking "who directed this, as it's superb", checked Wiki and Bey Logan's commentary concurs that although Corey Yuen directed the majority of the film, Sammo directed this scene but didn't take credit for it.

It's probably only when you watch it a few times that you see how well shot it is. It doesn't rely on shaky-cam like most modern films, but each shot is really kinetic. Things like the protagonist in the centre of the shot whilst framed by the weapons of the bad guys, POV of a fist clenching, the camera tracking the fight's movement and sparing use of slow-mo. Sammo really is the king of fight choreography.

Rothrock is brilliant in this and I'm going to track down Police Assassins to see more of her in action. Credit where it's due, she didn't know what any of the other actors were saying, so imagine trying to act against that! She has a great fight with one of her former actual competitors, Karen Sheperd.

I've not been aware of the bad guy

->Open Spoiler<-

Melvin Wong

before, but thanks to a training regime provided by Bolo Yeung, he makes for a pretty intimidating adversary!

However, it's Yuen Biao that steals the show. Not only is he a great actor in this like in On The Run, but I think he's got a different sort of charisma to Jackie Chan. He's likeable without the goofiness. Shame he's not made it as big as JC as going on these two films, he could've/should've been huge. He's got the fighting chops, no doubt, but it's his agility that makes him so watchable. He not only flips around as light as a feather in his scenes, but if you freezeframe, you can also see him donning a skirt and doubling Rothrock in a couple of moves that only he seems capable of doing! His 360 crescent kick is h'amaze :O


A great commentary, alternate ending and interview gallery rounds off a great DVD that only a "making-of" could improve on. I love my 80's action because they took so many risks trying new moves out, in fact, Biao nearly died making this! With Corey Yuen, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao invloved, this easily makes it into my top 10!

In other news, I started watching John Woo's Hard Target with JCVD on Saturday, but it's not as good as I remember seeing it as a teenager. Every kick is filmed from 3 different angles in slow motion. If they showed each kick once at normal speed, it would be a third shorter! The bad guys are pretty menacing, but the action scenes just seemed so plodding and unimaginative after seeing Righting Wrongs. That bike sequence where JCVD is standing on it whilst shooting is about as credible as Charlie Sheen trying to impress his crush in Hot Shots...
I never got to the end.

I also started watching Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door, but it's a film for kids, really. Chan-on-Wire is fun but not exciting. Seeing him perform a wire-assisted slide down bunting in a shopping mall just makes me compare it to Poice Story where he slid down that pole with live lights on it. There's no comparison really. Best bit so far is when they were showing clips from his other films (like Armour of God 2) at the start and claiming it was his character's former missions.

[monel]

Righting Wrongs is great, if only to see Biao in a great starring role. Did you spot Biao doubling Rothrock a couple of times near the beginning? He isn't even wearing a blonde wig! Hilarious.

I wish the last fight was longer, though. That kick you posted is executed and filmed perfectly, similar one to Chin Kar Lok's kick when doubling for Jackie at the end of Dragons Forever.

BTW-the kid in Righting Wrongs is Fan Siu Wong, he grew up to star in The Story Of Ricky, supporting role in Ip Man, etc etc.


EDIT-just re-read your post and saw you mentioned the Rothrock doubling, sorry. I agree Yuen Biao should have been a mega star though, but apparently he didn't want the fame. Although later in his career he did court Japanese fame, I don't quite understand...

[QualityChimp]

You know, I didn't see the stunt doubles on the first viewing, or the second viewing with Bey Logan talking, it was only when I watched the fight scenes again and slowed down Rothrock's first fight that I spotted Biao! It's pretty obvious too!

Bey Logan mentioned Story of Ricky and youtubed some videos to compare - he's really beefed up!

After your post I re-watched some of the action in Dragons Forever and also dipped into the extras disc. There's a nice documentary about it with Bey Logan milling about some of the locations and some interviews with cast members.

Not sure what's up next - Downtown Torpedoes, Millionaire's Express or one of Prinny's haul. Might take down 8-Diagram Pole Fighter.

There's a nice interview with Sammo Hung in this month's Impact Magazine. I've finished reading that and Jade Screen if you'd like me to pass them on to you Shinobi?

[monel]

I'd never heard of Downtown Torpedoes, had to google it.

If you want something very serious, and rarely for HK action/kung fu, ZERO comedy, go for 8 Diagram. I'd recommend the old English dub also because some of the Shaw dubs are great. If you don't want something too serious but from the Shaw stable and also by Lau Kar Leung I'd say maybe go for Heroes Of The East. My Young Auntie and Lady Is The Boss are absolute classics also, for me personally.

If ever you feel in the mood for a great comedy with tons of stars and familiar faces, then Millionaire's Express is a good bet.

Thanks for the offer of the magazines, I'm kind of swamped right now but I wouldn't mind reading them in the near future.

On the topic of Fan Siu Wong, Death Games is his best moment, fights wise at least. The story is lacking but the choreography is arguably some of the best of the 90s. I keep buying his films (avoid the stinkers though) but choeography-wise Death Games is his best work. It's a shame he had to fall back on tv work when he was obviously a great talent and he didn't get better roles at his physical peak. His dad is quite famous too, and also a high-level triad apparently.

[prinnysquad]

I wouldn't go for 8 Diagram yet. You need to segue back into old school films to appreciate it at its finest. It is of its own style - unrelentingly sombre.

I'll have a glance at those mags when you're finished, shinobi!

[monel]

I find I can go from old-school to modern and back again, but it all depends on the mood I'm in.

[monel]

I watched Painted Faces today, which I've had in various forms for many years but I kept putting it off. I knew it was a sad film and I never quite got round to it. It tells the story of Sammo and his school's history under their master, with Sammo playing their master. It tends to focus on Jackie and Sammo although Biao appears, but Yuen Wah and the others aren't really mentioned by name.

It is a very sad film and although you see the kids going through some really harsh treatment some have said that it doesn't paint their teacher in as bad a light as it could have. It is also quite touching at times and it's a huge shame that Celestial didn't release it with their remastered Shaws.

It's not an action film btw, more a story about the training and life of peking opera performers just before the art died out. The performances are all great, the kids chosen did a great job.

Here's a picture of Biao and Jackie I saved from the old kung fu fandom forum:

[QualityChimp]

I saw Sammo Hung's Iron Fisted Monk over the weekend.
I fancied some old-skool, but was still buzzing from his work in Righting Wrongs.

Sammo plays Husker, who goes to learn Kung-Fu at a Shaolin monastery to get revenge after his uncle is murdered by the Manchus. The Manchus are an 'orrible lot who spend their time on screen either fighing, murdering, raping, beating to death OAPs, bullying kids or laughing at the above.

The plot goes into comic territory in the middle and seems a little out of place. Going to a brothel not long after your sister has been raped and murdered seems a little odd...

Aside from that section, I really enjoyed it, even though the bad guys are pretty brutal. The final brawl, when Husker reaches his breaking point and goes on the attack is brilliant. I particularly enjoyed the sequence where Hung and Chan Sing are pushing forward against the film's two big bads and the camera tracks with them as they swap over taking turns to attack each of them. Brilliant.

Like I say, it's a bit brutal (the rape scenes were pretty harsh) and the comedy seems a little out of place, but aside from that, it's a pretty solid film with great fight scenes and it's interesting to see Sammo's directorial debut.

[QualityChimp]

In other news...

Continuing our passionate commitment to deliver the very best in Asian action-cinema through our pioneering Cine Asia brand, Showbox Media Group is proud to announce the re-birth of the celebrated Hong Kong Legends action-cinema label. Under the new releasing banner, 'CINE ASIA presents HKL', Showbox is set to bring the label back to life, and will re-release the cream of Entertainment One's Asian film catalogue, including Jet Li's Once upon a time in China series, Jackie Chan's Police Story 1&2 and Donnie Yen's world-famous, Iron Monkey.

Originally launched on February 7th 2000, Hong Kong Legends broke new ground in the presentation of classic Hong Kong Cinema titles. Undertaking an extensive film restoration programme and developing an entire range of exclusive bonus material, HKL was considered the gold-standard in Asian Cinema until its part-discontinuation in 2007.

To celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Bruce Lee's birthday, CINE ASIA presents HKL will first re-release the feature-packed 2-Disc Ultimate Editions of Bruce Lee's illustrious movies The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, along with the brand-new Cine Asia Blu-ray and DVD release of Young Bruce Lee on 30th May 2011.

Executive director of Showbox, Steve Rivers says, "We are absolutely delighted to be working with Entertainment One and thrilled to be handling these prestigious classic titles again!"

Director of Home Entertainment at Entertainment One, Jon Bourdillon adds, "We are excited about this famous library being handled by the Asian film experts Showbox; we think that the combined line up of the Cine Asia and HKL titles provide a compelling proposition for trade and consumers alike."

Click the following links for a sneak peak at some of the new Cine Asia presents HKL artwork: Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Game of Death, and Way of the Dragon.

Hopefully this means some of the silly-priced OOP stuff will be easy to get hold of again!

[CMcK]

I hope this means all of the HKL stuff gets released on Blu-ray. I would be skint but happy if it does!