I saw The Sword , over two sessions (try to avoid doing that). It was excellent, don't want to get anyone's hopes up so won't mention too much but I really, really enjoyed it. The swordplay was not overdone (which I do usually appreciate- crazy stuff), it was more subtle and fitted the story, although it was still well choreographed. Some of the camerawork was very well done and the film had a downbeat and serious tone. This was one of the best films I've seen in years.
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Re: Seen any good Kung-Fu flicks of late?
I didn't know Cine-Asia had closed?
Anyway, sounds like Chinese Zodiac is doing good business!
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Keanu Reeves' directorial debut, Man of Tai Chi, has a trailer.
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The Man with the Iron Fists - could've been a great movie but for me there just wasn't enough out and out kung fu, which is criminal in a kung fu movie. Everything else was pretty good, a suitably old school story, some good music from RZA, good costumes/sets and I thought Russell Crowe was great (if overweight! - good to see he's dropped a few kegs nowadays). So it just needed more fighting, more duels and longer duels that showcase the kung fu. Let's hope Keanu has the right mix.Comment
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I've watched a couple of old skool rarities recently to get back into the swing of things.
Also bought a few Shaw Bros cheapies off amazon - stuff like Flying Guillotine 1 and 2, Avenging Eagle, etc. Starting to feel enthused again after the **** of the last year!Comment
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Avenging Eagle is one of those films I like a lot, not for the fights but for the cast and the setting. I wonder if they took the main plot thread from another film. Don't watch any trailers of it, it gives a lot away. I think all the official releases are missing a small bit of the end fight unless there's a newer one out there.Comment
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Watched The Sword of Justice (1980) again last night.
Awesome atmosphere, pacing, and style, with some lovely balletic swordplay.
Review incoming on The Chivalrous Inn!Comment
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The Lady Assassin - a Shaw Brothers flick from the early 80s starring folk like Norman 'Big Nose' Chu and Jason Pai Piao.
A thoroughly enjoyable old school romp with Imperial Court intrigue and mucho action. There's various double crossings and skankings afoot, but that's all besides the point: I wanted kick ass action.
There's plenty of it, to be fair. It's of a certain style, though: Undercranked and zany, with fantasy stylings. It's also very bloody - by the final scene there's some serious slicing and dicing going on. I've watched a lot of bashers over the last year so I was quite pleased to see some fast paced Shaws madness.Comment
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I saw that film when I hadn't watched many Shaw swordplay films, I was mostly used to the LKL and Venoms films and they weren't out remastered then. It was so different, I really enjoyed it as it had a very different atmosphere to most films I'd seen by then.Comment
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It is a good egg, for sure. Some great, fast scenes of pure mayhem. Sure I read it has the same story background/ characters as Rebellious Reign, a personal fave of mine.Comment
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I saw a film a couple of months ago which I enjoyed tremendously, I need to re-watch it if I had to post a review. Thing is, how do you review films without giving away spoilers and special parts, particularly in films where those scenes make the film great? Do you think a lot of reviews in texts / online give away too much? The Eastern Heroes book only had one or two paragraph reviews but often told a lot of the plot and twists in a film.Comment
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It's a tough balance. I tend to mix my reviews up a bit.
For some films I've included a blow-by-blow account of all scenes. For others I've detailed the plot up to the first 30 mins, but referenced the odd later spectacle.
The other option is to barely reference the content and try to give impressions of film components in the most general possible way - e.g., fights, music, etc. This is ridiculous, though, as it just sounds like a string of generic platitudes.
There's positives and drawbacks for all. How, indeed, to explain opinions and content without spoilers? I think it's impossible. So, I try to be as detailed as possible to explain my opinion, without giving every little thing away. It is, after all, a review, rather than a studio release synopsis. If some poor sap reads my review, I'd like them to know what the film is about, get enthused by some of the bits I describe, and be clear on my opinion of it.
Plus putting the words CONTAINS SPOILERS at the top helps :-)Comment
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R. I. P. Lau Kar-Leung.
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Nooooooooooooooo!
A true GREAT of Asian cinema. A legend of the Old Skool, from a time when action scenes had long cuts, precision acrobatic timing, and proper framing. His filmography - as an actor, action director and director - is awash with classics and game-changers. We'll not see his like again.
All the legends are either ill, dead or retired. So annoying that the level of martial expertise they accomplished in filmmaking isn't being replicated today by modern stars :-(
Damn, this guy was good.Comment
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