Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?

[monel]

OK, cool. I've been meaning to watch a few SB wuxias and some of their zanier stuff for ages, but never get round to it. OT but I saw Human Lanterns with a friend over a year ago, it was cut, a good film with a sinister vibe at times but didn't live up to it's reputation. That's a problem with really popular films, if you see them years or decades after their release they often don't live up to the acclaim.

[prinnysquad]

Black Enforcer was a real slow burner. The joy was in its bleak atmosphere and wondering what the characters would do, as the guy out for revenge grew closer to his enemy's daughter, and the family generally welcomed the herbalist into their home, proving themselves to be an honourable set of people who, despite the fact their father was a bad un, didn't deserve to have their lives ripped apart.

I'll not hype it, though. Nowt worse than a hyped let down.

In other news, picked up these HKL quite cheap:

Duel to the Death
Miracles
My Lucky Stars
Winners and Sinners
Prodigal Son

[QualityChimp]

I know The Raid was mentioned in the Official Movie Trailer Thread (thanks for making me aware of it, Zero9X!), but I thought it fits better in this thread.

There's a new interview with Director Gareth Evans in this month's Impact Magazine, but the more I read about him, the more convinced I was that he grew up watching the same Kung-Fu films that we saw in the early 90s.

There was only one way to find out and I asked him via an interview on Ain't It Cool News if he saw the Jonathan Ross shows and the Chan seasons on Channel 4...

This will sound like bull**** but I absolutely remember that Jonathan Ross show with Jackie Chan. At that time I was already obsessed with ARMOUR OF GOD, the PROJECT A films and POLICE STORY and I came home from a weekend school trip to find out that the episode had already aired. I was beyond pissed that I'd missed it until I found out my dad had taped it for me and I ended up watching that episode religiously.

Go to the site for my whole question, his full response and some of the other questions!

This was the last piece of the puzzle for me. I'm definitely going to write to Channel 4 now and ask whatever happened to their unique output. They used to show The Incredibly Strange Film show, Jackie Chan films, Chinese Ghost Stories season, Godzilla Creature Feature season and anime.

I work with a couple of people in their 20s who've not even heard of Back to the Future, so how the hell are they going to stumble across some of the cult stuff I just mentioned?!

Their Kung-Fu seasons inspired Gareth Evans into making martial arts films and their Godzilla seasons inspired Gareth Edwards to make Monsters and is now going to direct the new Godzilla film. I think they underestimate the legacy of showing things outside of the mainstream.

[megatron]

He used to post on an asian film forum called Bulletsnbabesdvd if that rings a bell. Used to be a good discussion site back then.

[prinnysquad]

This was the last piece of the puzzle for me. I'm definitely going to write to Channel 4 now and ask whatever happened to their unique output. They used to show The Incredibly Strange Film show, Jackie Chan films, Chinese Ghost Stories season, Godzilla Creature Feature season and anime.

Do it fella!

I work with a couple of people in their 20s who've not even heard of Back to the Future, so how the hell are they going to stumble across some of the cult stuff I just mentioned?!

Twats and ****s, to a man.

Their Kung-Fu seasons inspired Gareth Evans into making martial arts films and their Godzilla seasons inspired Gareth Edwards to make Monsters and is now going to direct the new Godzilla film. I think they underestimate the legacy of showing things outside of the mainstream.

This is a very good point. Mind, Mr QualityChimp needs to watch EVEN MORE OBSCURE stuff to get into the shizzle.

He used to post on an asian film forum called Bulletsnbabesdvd if that rings a bell. Used to be a good discussion site back then.

I've read that a few times. Not a bad site at all.

The Monk's Fight (1979)

Casanova Wong plays a badass bastard in a film about a tough ass monk (Lee Wing, in his only role according to hkmdb!) sorting out a bunch of skanks. An ancient relic is stolen from a temple, and due to be flogged to the Japanese, but a top fighter intervenes and attempts to save various folk (including Pearl Cheung) and retrieve the artefact.

The story is ok, but it's the delivery that appeals. There's so many things to like:

- The tone of the film is serious, even sombre. There's a lot of deaths and violence. Even an effeminate, mincing henchman is skin-crawlingly loathesome rather than particularly laughable.
- The lighting and atmosphere is some of the best late-70s style I've seen since Sword of Justice. There's a lively downpour as a bad 'un causes trouble, with the ensuing rumble taking place after it stops, with drops of rain falling from the scenery adding to the atmosphere of impending chaos - the storm yields to calm, which precedes a different kind of storm. In another scene, a tense exchange between two characters takes place in a dark street as a lantern sways to and fro in the wind, illuminating different parts of the setting.
- The violence is quite graphic for the time. There's a lot of slicing and stabbing, and a few deaths involving a meat skewer being shoved through heads. In one scene, a grieving relative is silently skewered through the head by an assassin, who then stays calm enough to try and cover up the death in plain sight of everyone else. There's a great fight/death scene involving a big tough henchman, too - a very entertaining hanging.
- The performances are decent.
- Although it may not appeal to all, the soundtrack is 70s electro-synth. I can see why it might seem out of place, but it adds to the identify of the film.
- The settings are classic and varied - beach, cliff, shanty town, etc.

However, all is not rosy:

- As fast and decent as the fight scenes are, there's far too many cuts. More wide angle shots and longer cuts would have been nice.
- One tough-ass assassin challenges the hero to a fight, then promptly seems to disappear. Wha? Maybe I missed something. But I was looking forward to that fight! Or at least an explanation of who he was and what his motivations were.

Still, a very enjoyable effort, and in glorious 35mm widescreen print, with associated bleeding colours, and dodgy-yet-clear-and-understandable burnt-in white subs. Unreleased Rarescope, y'see.

[prinnysquad]

Where the hell is Shinobi????

Kung Fu King (1973)

Nik Cheung vehicle. An utterly traditional tale of a bunch of peasants finding gold, then having their assets stripped by an unscrupulous and corrupt local mafia and mayor. They are assisted by a mysterious stranger, who is very adept at martial arts. It's all standard enough, but the action sets it apart from most 70s bashers. This is because Cheung has a decent kicking ability, and uses the skill extensively. Consequently, the film's action feels like a bridge between bashers and Secret Rivals.

Some scenes are genuinely good. There's numerous 3 or 4-on-1 fights, and Cheung looks pretty unbeatable, even when heavies and experts are drafted in by the bad uns. In one scene he unleashes about 6 roundhouse kicks directly into the camera, and in another he does a 'shuffle' kick, where he uses his standing foot to edge forward while unleashing a flurry of little jabs with his kicking foot. For these reasons alone, the film stands out amongst other bashers. There's also a sex scene where some big bloke is nailing a tart while her other lover is hiding under the bed. Hilariously, he looks upwards and gawps, presumably at the cock pounding his bint. San 'hunchback' Kwai also appears at the end.

[prinnysquad]

New HKL:

The Iceman Cometh
Drive

[monel]

Hey, still here, been online much less though. Iceman Cometh has another Biao v Yuen Wah showdown, I didn't enjoy the rest of it as much but that was in the 90s and I need to rewatch it.

[prinnysquad]

Whheeyyy! The only place you should visit online is this thread, every day.

Nearly finished those discs btw. Had to order another batch

[monel]

Haha, that's probably true. Online discussion of kf is kind of lacking... Life's been crap so I try not to post in a crappy mood. I replaced some kung fu docus I had on vhs with newer versions, one of them being Cinema of Vengeance. Not the best but decent, I still have the vhs version.

[prinnysquad]

Nice work.

I've received my copies of Story of 36 Killers, Knight of the Dazzling Scimitar, The Ill Wind and Duel of the Tough widescreen. Good stats! Currently awaiting a consignment of 10 dvds from Canada. Also bought Shanghai 13 on dvd from Asia, and got mint copies of Monkey Kung Fu, Five Element Ninjas and The Magnificent Ruffians ivl. Rapidly running out of space!

[monel]

Is Shanghai 13 a Ti Lung flick? It sounds familiar- I've always wanted to see 13 Cold Blooded Eagles (?) as it's related to Avenging Eagle, I may have the name wrong.

[QualityChimp]

Girl sat behind me at work was showing me her brother's Facebook page and I saw he was friends with Mike Leeder (Impact magazine's Eastern editor and did the casting on films like Fearless).

When I said who he was she said he's into all that oh and he's met Jackie Chan!

So I've made friends with him and look forward to hearing his top 10!

[monel]

There was a good interview with him online a couple of months ago. That's kind of a funny coincidence, too. I hope Jackie didn't try and seduce his wife...or something.

[prinnysquad]

Is Shanghai 13 a Ti Lung flick? It sounds familiar- I've always wanted to see 13 Cold Blooded Eagles (?) as it's related to Avenging Eagle, I may have the name wrong.

Yes. It has a stellar cast - Jimmy Wang Yu, Ti Lung, Chiang Sheng, Chen Kuan-Tai, Danny Lee, David Chiang, Chi Kuan Chun, Chan Sing, Lu Feng, Ricky Chen, Beardy and Andy Lau. It's directed by Chang Cheh, and the action directors are Lau Kar Wing, Rickey Chen, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng and Wong Gwok-Chue.

Girl sat behind me at work was showing me her brother's Facebook page and I saw he was friends with Mike Leeder (Impact magazine's Eastern editor and did the casting on films like Fearless).

When I said who he was she said he's into all that oh and he's met Jackie Chan!

So I've made friends with him and look forward to hearing his top 10!

There goes QC, riding on the coat tails!