Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[QualityChimp]

Tiger Cage

Another Shinobi suggestion that hits like a one-inch punch!

Don't get me wrong, this is riddled with clich?s: Good cop's last day on the job to retire and get married; bad guys who can't hit a barn door; cops who can get a perfect headshot whilst diving through a car windshield, but not when it's needed and so on, but it's still a top-notch police actioner with plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Yuen Woo-Ping directs and it stars Donnie Yen, Simon Yam (not stock footage like Hard To Kill!), Jackie Cheung and Carol Cheng.

There really were some shocks, plot-wise and it seemed like the story was wrapped up after 20 mins, but that's when the real intrigue started.

There's plenty of action along the way with fights, car chases and shootouts. Yen is as impressive as ever, but Jackie Cheung has some good moves - any other suggestions of films with him showing his stuff?

Really enjoyed this well-shot, exciting film.

[monel]

Tiger Cage 1? You should have skipped it and gone straight to Tiger Cage 2, they are a series but totally unrelated. When I wrote Tiger Cage as an alternate title that was because it had a UK release once as just Tiger Cage.

Then again, if you liked that one part 2 is going to blow your socks off, it's like In The Line of Duty 4 but with comedy.

There are a couple of Jackie Cheung films with gunplay, he doesn't usually do the kung fu unless I'm ignoring something. Except in High Risk, where he is a parody of Jackie Chan with a bit of Bruce Lee mixed in. It was director Wong Jing's mission to get back at Jackie with that film, I know you're a big JC fan but you should get a laugh out of that film. It's hilarious in places and also features Jet Li.

DON'T watch the US version with the rap soundtrack retitled as Meltdown, get High Risk although there are a few seconds cut from certain releases. The Japanese version is uncut I think.

[prinnysquad]

I might watch a film in t'morning. I must choose wisely.

Do I go-
Basher?
Swordplay?
Shapes?
Modern?

[monel]

I might watch something too, it's hard to choose at times.

Why don't you watch Mirage? Or Kid With The Golden Arm, maybe? Two very different kinds of film.

[QualityChimp]

Tiger Cage 1? You should have skipped it and gone straight to Tiger Cage 2, they are a series but totally unrelated. When I wrote Tiger Cage as an alternate title that was because it had a UK release once as just Tiger Cage.

Then again, if you liked that one part 2 is going to blow your socks off, it's like In The Line of Duty 4 but with comedy.

There are a couple of Jackie Cheung films with gunplay, he doesn't usually do the kung fu unless I'm ignoring something. Except in High Risk, where he is a parody of Jackie Chan with a bit of Bruce Lee mixed in. It was director Wong Jing's mission to get back at Jackie with that film, I know you're a big JC fan but you should get a laugh out of that film. It's hilarious in places and also features Jet Li.

DON'T watch the US version with the rap soundtrack retitled as Meltdown, get High Risk although there are a few seconds cut from certain releases. The Japanese version is uncut I think.

Argh... you keep mentioning High Risk and it sounds ace. Thanks for the Meltdown tip! I'll have a look for the best version.

I've got Tiger Cage II lined up after Iron Angels, don't you worry.

I might have you over for beers and a flick when things are a little more settled with the baby, Shin. I'd invite Prinny, but he regurgitates if he leaves the North...

[QualityChimp]

Oh and my film would have every Bruce Lee clone in it fighting at the same time!

[monel]

Sounds cool, I bet your son knows Bey Logan commentaries word for word by the age of 5 .

When I first saw High Risk, ages ago, I had no idea it was about Jackie. Then I found out and after hearing all the rumours about him it all made sense. I think his hardcore fans hate that film. It's also one of the reasons Jackie Chan was pissed off at Jet Li for a while.

Even without that aspect it's a fun film anyway, it's basically a remake of Die Hard. There have been others but it's the best one I've seen.

[prinnysquad]

Pretty much already been done, man. Of sorts.

The Clones of Bruce Lee

Shame they missed out Bruce Li, the best clone.

[prinnysquad]

A few watches recently

Revenge of the Shaolin Kid (1978)
Chi Kuan Chun, Lo Lieh, Chen Sing. Mark Pollard has a very unflattering review on kfc, but I rather liked this. Tons of shapes and action. I watched it a bit pissed so can't remember what happened, other than CKC looking for the murderer of his father, but I recall liking it. Smashing, and very random, scene featuring Judy Lee in a gambling den.

The Bloody Fists (1972)
I fancied watching a basher. This was a slow-burner and no mistake. Set in the 1930s I presume, but it's very much a Western in some respects, with a load of nationalistic overtones thrown in. Chen Sing is a convict on the run who holes up in a small town. The townsfolk are hassled by the Japanese, who are aided by a snivelling collaborator. The Japanese want the stocks of the Dragon Herb, which cures the plague affecting the Japanese invading/occupying force. There's the usual tensions, and the stranger (Chen Sing) is compelled to assist.

The punch and block work is decent, and of its time. Chen Sing has a formidable screen presence. There's a great scene early doors where he leaps on a moving car, and takes out a bunch of gun-wielding rozzers. The film is slightly overlong, but the final fight on the beach is a good watch. The film has Yuen Woo Ping and Ng See Yuen as action bod and director, and in the end fight you can see the genesis of some of the angles and camerawork they perfected in Secret Rivals and subsequent films. Nice ending, too.

The Undefeated Sword (1970)
Taiwan swordplay featuring a load of no-names. It all starts off very confusing, with talk of infiltrations, uprisings, usurpers, missing warriors, etc. But the story soon slips into place and the one-armed main star enters a town looking for the leader of a group of rebels. There's a few later twists about sides and relationships that were quite obvious but nicely handled. Then the last two fights kick off. For their period, they're very decent. The film as a whole has lovely sets, and there's one fight in the rain between one-arm and the blacksmith that is truly lovely to watch, in terms of cinematography; almost up there with Sword of Justice's rain fight. Then the last fight has two different focuses - in a palace and on a hillside. Quite watchable, really, and there's a neat twist at the end that I predicted early doors, but liked the way it was handled. Apart from a talk-heavy lull in the middle, I thought the time I invested in this film was spent rather nicely - it was no great shakes but had some decent bits.

[monel]

That first title sounds very familiar but I don't think I've seen any of those.

About a week or so ago I watched Avenging Eagle after many years.

I loved it again, mainly due to the storyline. I think the casting of Fu Sheng and Ti Lung as the two leads works very well and they both play off each other really well. I know it's a much loved film but the martial arts aren't really up to the level of other Shaw classics such as Lau Kar Leung's major works of the time. However, this is a film I would watch for the story and interplay between the two leads more than the action. It is a brilliant film and I would recommend it to anyone.

I also saw the original trailer and I was shocked that they gave the whole plot away. That is a pet hate of mine. Some Hong Kong trailers also show pretty much the whole film sometimes, I tend to avoid trailers if I can, if I'm planning on watching the film some day.

I also noticed some of the differences between the dub and the subs, I love some old dubs but it's a shame when they totally rewrite the original script or meaning of dialogue at times. I first noticed this when I saw the subtitled version of The Killer after years of just watching the dub. There's a scene before a job where Chow Yun Fat picks up a gun and says in the dub, 'I just felt somebody walk over my grave.' As a teenager that line sounded pretty cool to me but when I saw the subbed dialogue it was, 'Easy to pick up, hard to put down'. That one made a lot more sense and I wondered what the hell the dubbers play at sometimes.


I still like watching the old dubs for a lot of films but if they contain an interesting plot I will make sure to watch the subbed versions some day.

[prinnysquad]

The Bloody Fists



The Undefeated Sword



Revenge of the Shaolin Kid - Judy Lee cameo




Still haven't watched Avenging Eagle! I know what you mean about giveaway trailers though - sometimes it's hardly worth watching the film afterwards.

Heh at your dub observation. I read an interview with someone who said they dubbed a ludicrous number of films a week for stuff all money, using scant general notes as guidance. They often just invented things, and used stock voices for recognisable characters, eg, the snivelling restaurant owner, or the hero, or the evil master. You're right, dubs and subs are often hilariously mismatched, and can tell different stories. I've watched a couple of films with dub and sub simultaneously. They can either add useful detail and understanding, or be confusingly incompatible.

Talking of subs, I did my first reauthoring job today. I have a Japanese release of the North Korean kaiju film, Pulgasari. I found an english srt file and used a guide to reauthor it. It worked! Sort of. Luckily I didn't have to re-time the subs at all - they were pretty spot on in their default timing. Just as well, because one programme was trying to get me to time the english subs alongside the existing Japanese ones. Which I couldn't read, so it was pointless. Also, I didn't seem to attach the srt file properly as an executable option, because they're on by default when I play the newly-burnt disc. I don't even think I can remove them - they're essentially burnt in. However, as I say, they're timed right, so it doesn't matter. I can watch the damn thing now!

[monel]

Good job with the sub adding. I need to learn about dvd authoring etc, I've got a few films I'd like to add special features to or dubs and trailers etc etc.

edit-Avenging Eagle is great but ignore the hype completely and just watch it with an open mind.

[Finsbury Girl]

Ip Man - another great Donnie Yen film, well coreographed by Sammo Hung. Some excellent fight scenes and generally a well produced film. Will definitely pick this up on Blu Ray.

Ip Man 2 next, then Kamui and a classic JC film, Fearles Hyena to watch over the next few days.

[Finsbury Girl]

So onto Ip Man 2 - Sifu Ip has moved onto the mean streets of 50s Hong Kong. Credit for the fight scenes, they're really well done. As for the rest, well it does a great job of being a kind of Chinese Rocky. Donnie as ever is dependable.

[QualityChimp]

Ip Man 1 - Boo, hiss to the Japanese
Ip Man 2 - Boo, hiss to the British

Lucky they're packed full of great fight scenes. Thought 1 was more satisfying that 2. The feather duster fight, forced to fight for food and the last contest were great.

There's an Ip Man prequel that's quite good fun too.