recent purchases

[jethro]

Jimbo, have you seen Dragon Fist yet? I really liked that one. It has the best handwork I have ever seen Jackie do in an oldschool movie. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done if he was a real actor and not the goofy Jackie Chan we all know and love. I wish he would have done more serious roles, like Crime Story for instance. I heard that Jet Li was supposed to be the lead actor for Crime Story, and while he could have done a very good job I believe, I would take Jackie for that role. He gave such an amazing performance. ok end of ramble

[Jimbo]

Jethro:
Yes, I first saw Dragon Fist in the very early '80s; it was the first 'period' Jackie film I ever saw, after which came Fearless Hyena. Prior to that, the first and only Jackie film I'd seen was The Big Brawl (Battle Creek Brawl). I owned both on VHS but wanted them on disc.

I agree that it's a good movie for him, because it's a serious one, but serious without Jackie's penchant for annoying overdramatics, such as excessive flopping around and crying, etc. This was also the period when he was at his peak of performing complex choreographed empty-hand/weapons sequences and 'shapes'. In fact, after Fearless Hyena he abandoned that type of film in favor of the big stunts and taking heavier physical punishment.

IMO, Jackie could have been so much better if he'd had more films that were serious but with his emotions toned down (way down). Crime Story was good, but I personally hated New Police Story. I'll bring up Fu Sheng again, because he seemed like the prototype of the 'naughty, impish kung fu kid' that Jackie and Jackie's own imitators, would later follow. In his best films, Fu Sheng could play those roles well (though considerably toned down), but in films that were serious (such as the Shaolin series). It takes a more mature acting talent, plus a good director, to pull that off, IMO.

I started watching Fearless Hyena to check the English dubbing, but when I get back to it, I'm going to switch to the Cantonese w/subtitles, because the English dub-job seems to have been done by what I call the 'D team', a group of dubbers with especially heavy accents and exaggeratedly low, slow voices (they often dubbed Godfrey Ho's films).

[kungpowmaster]

Hi,

I went to Best Buy today and picked up this Rarescope Flicks With Kicks 10 movie set on the BCI label for 9.99.

I haven't watched these yet, and I don't think I have seen them before.

Looks like a decent set for the price.

Shaolin vs. Ninja / Shaolin vs. Tai Chi – Shaolin vs. Ninja – The Japanese challenge Shaolin to a contest which will determine who has the better martial arts, creating a non-stop action spectacle. From Robert Tai, the action director who brought the world such hits as “5 Venoms” and “Invincible Shaolin”, this is a classic among classics! Superstar, Alexander Lo, leads the monks along with Tai's protégé, William Yen, who is perhaps the best acrobat to ever hit the silver screen.
85 minutes – Not Rated

Shaolin vs. Tai Chi (aka Shaolin and Tai Chi) - The world famous Shaolin Monks help their country against traitors, the invading Japanese led by the ruthless Ninjas, and worse, the Mantis of the North, who wants to dominate the Martial World. The Monks cannot defeat the intruders with traditional Shaolin, so they combine Tai Chi and Drunken Boxing to create a new style of entertaining fighting.
84 minutes – Not Rated

Chinese Godfather / Duel of Karate – Chinese Godfather: Starring in this tale of redemption and revenge was famed actor and kick boxer, Chan Wai Man, and in the female lead, Bruce Lee's friend Betty Ting Pei. Bruce Lee, who supported the film, died during the filming and the movie was dedicated to his spirit.
75 Minutes – Not Rated

Duel of Karate: A kung fu master and his wife have twin baby boys. But when an opposing kung fu clan with Japanese assistance kills the parents, one baby manages to escape while the other is saved later from the arms of his dead mother. The two grow up living separate lives, but fate has them meet in a duel to the death brought on by deception and treachery. Only one will survive the Duel of Karate. The film stars popular actors, Roc Tien and Chan Hong Liu.
90 Minutes – Not Rated

A Sword Named Revenge / The Dream Sword - A Sword Named Revenge - Two swordsmen from separate sects band together to kill Ruthless Chi, head of another sect. But did he really die? Events show that the Ruthless killer still pulls the strings and it’s up to the swordsmen to reveal his true identity.
100 Minutes – Not Rated

The Dream Sword – The Dream Sword is the ultimate weapon in the martial art world and the one who holds it becomes the target of those who want it. In this lavish epic of betrayal and thirst for power, the Shaw Bros. top superstar Yue Hua showcases his superb skills against fellow Shaw actors, including Lung Fei.
93 Minutes – Not Rated

Showdown at the Cotton Mill – Superstar Chi Kuan Chun reprises his role as Hu Hei Chien from the Shaw Bros. films, "Men From The Monastery" and "Shaolin Avengers". After rebelling openly against the Ching government, the imperial dynasty sends the Wu Tang forces to dispose of him. The ultimate Northern Leg versus Southern Fist showdown takes place when Hu comes face to face with “Flash Legs” Tan Tao Liang in a series of action-packed battles.
84 Minutes – Not Rated

The Lost Swordship – A masterpiece Chinese sword film stars Wang Ping and Roc Tien as master swordsmen fighting for their honor. Based on the Ku Long novel and originally intended as a Shaw Brothers production, until the project was lured away to Taiwan where it became a hit there and in all of Asia.
93 Minutes – Not Rated

Ninjas and Dragons – Martial arts traditions clash in this rare Chinese/Japanese coproduction, one of the nearly forgotten classics of old-school Asian cinema. The action-packed extravaganza stars Sonny Chiba protégé, Junya Takagi, as a Japanese samurai who teams with Chinese kung-fu rebels to wreak vengeance on the ninjas who murdered his father.
84 Minutes – Not Rated

The Face Behind the Mask – With its fast-paced action sequences and lavish period-piece production design, this Chinese film is a long lost classic of kung fu cinema. Directed by Jackie Chan's mentor, Chen Chi-hua, and featuring a cameo by Chan himself, the action-packed extravaganza revolves around a band of warriors, assassins, and wizards who set out to overthrow a questionably elected martial-arts leader.
93 Minutes – Not Rated

Chosen One

[jethro]

Yeah that is a great deal. You are basically getting 7 good movies for $10. Stay away from Sword Named Revenge, Chinese Godfather and Duel of Karate, and the rest of pretty good. Face Behind the Mask and Cottonmill are my favorites.

[jethro]

Today I got Tales from the Crypt season 2 and Spaceballs 2-disc set.

[Jimbo]

Last night I watched the Dragon Fist DVD and overall the quality was fine...but...I did notice it was missing some scenes. As I remember, there was a scene where Jackie actually talks to the boss of the villainous gang and is convinced to work for them to cure his teacher's wife. There was also a scene where Yen Shi-Kuan's 'daughter' beats Jackie up, and Jackie refuses to fight back. There were probably more scenes missing, as I noted that the DVD was only about 77 minutes long. Not enough to make an overly big difference, but annoying nonetheless. It does seem odd on the DVD when Jackie walks to the evil gang's HQ, then suddenly is fighting for them. Otherwise, the Korean landscape and architecture is beautiful.

It's too bad Han Ying (Eagle Han) never got bigger roles in Jackie's Lo We films. In DF he's Yen Shi-Kuan's faithful disciple, and in Fearless Hyena he plays Yen's victim in the opening credits. He would've made a good lead villain in some of Jackie's other early films.

Yesterday got Death Proof on sale. Unlike most, I kinda liked that movie, and I'm not a big QT fan at all. I liked it mainly for Kurt Russell's great performance as Stuntman Mike, and the classic chase scene. Although it's still too wordy, I found it seemed to drag less than when I saw it in theater (knowing I could stop it or skip ahead at any time). The first group of women (the victims) still elicits zero sympathy from me, though.

[kungpowmaster]

I tell ya, I've been buying so many movies, I've got a bunch I haven't seen. Lots of martial arts especially, and other genres I like as well.

I haven't recieved them yet, but I did just order online:

Ninja Vs. Mafia

Ninja in the Claw of the C.I.A.

Leopard Fist Ninja


I haven't seen any of these. I know Leopard Fist is a Godfrey Ho, but an earlier flim before his Joseph Lai Ninja flicks. And I think Alexander Lou is in the others.

So, they should be good.

Chosen

[jethro]

Ninja in the CIA is a really bad movie, but I enjoyed it. John Liu's kicks are as good as they would ever look. Cassanova Wong also does good in his limited fight time, and does a great job acting crazy. The scene where John Liu gives him a rabbit had me in tears. Now, this movie has excessive nudity, and unfortunately all the nudity is cut out of most versions. Ninja vs Mafia is a bit above average. Though kind of a disappointement to the movies where Lo Rei actually plays a ninja, like NInja USA, and the lesser Super Ninja.

I've been buying like crazy lately. I got season 2 of my 2nd favorite show of alltime, Taxi. And I also picked up-

Indiana Jones 4 disc set (I had to rewatch these after seeing the horrible new Indy movie)

Harsh Times (Christian Bale)--- I haven't seen this one.

Street Smart (Christopher Reeve) /Code of Silence (Chuck Norris) 2-pack--- I haven't seen these 2 either.

JCVD 4-pack- I got this for The Quest which I had never seen before, and Hard Target. I wish JCVD did more movies with John Woo. I might have been able to call myself a fan of him.

[Jimbo]

Code of Silence was Norris's best movie, IMO. The director, Andrew Davis, also directed Seagal's premier, Above the Law, and made these two very good crime dramas set in Chicago back in the '80s.

I liked Ninja in the Claw of the CIA. It's a nice, funny bit of ultra low-budget self-indulgence for John Liu, much like Zen Kwun Do Strikes in Paris was. In both of those, French fighter Roger Pasche made a good opponent. Casanova Wong's kicks actually looked more powerful to me than Liu's, but he's forced to be a secondary fighter to Pasche. Wong acts crazy, much like he did in The Master Strikes.

I'm waiting for the next kung fu DVD that's worth buying. Mostly I've been buying music recently.

[jethro]

Code of Silence was just average I thought. I'll have to watch it again. It's hard for me to watch Chuck Norris. His acting has always bugged me. I liked him more in a movie like Forced Vengeance, where he gets all those funny one liners.

I watched Harsh Times, and it was really good. Christian Bale was amazing as expected, but I thought Freddy Rodriguez put on an even better performance. I am finding it hard to explain why I liked this movie so much, but most of all I think it's because it felt like real life.

And I picked up Challenge of the Masters. I think it just came out today. The picture is sooooo beautiful. I am excited to finally see this movie.

Also, I agree Wong acts kind of similiar to the way he does in Master Strikes BAck, but in Ninja in the CIA I think he actually did a good job acting crazy. Or maybe not a good job, but I found his performance entertaining lol.

[jethro]

I just watched Challenge of the MAsters, and wow. That movie has some powerful emotional moments. Lau Kar Leung is the man.

[Jimbo]

Challenge of the Masters may be the best "martial virtue" movie of any type ever made up to this point. Unlike most similarly-themed "morality" movies, there is no doubt what the message is in this one, and Lau chose not to have what many audiences would consider a satisfying, clear-cut final fight. If I wanted to be cynical I could say that a high percentage of evil people, at least today, would probably not experience a change of heart if shown mercy/forgiveness; however, the movie as is conveys its message beautifully. I might go by Sam Goody's tomorrow to see if they've gotten the MB release yet; I don't wanna wait for BB to get it.

[Jimbo]

Brothers Five

Frankenstein Conquers the World (Frankenstein vs. Baragon)

Cloverfield

House of Flying Daggers

Lady in the Water

[jethro]

Hey Jimbo let me know what you think of BRothers Five. If you can get past the horrible sound effects, there are some really cool fights. The main thing that struck me was how long they go without cutting, and how much rehearsel had to go into these fights. It's really amazing.

[jethro]

I just picked up a couple more DVDs today. The Shaw Brothers exploitation movie Kiss of Death, and a Videoasia 2-pack, Gods Gangsters and Gamblers, and Triad Affairs. I'm watching Triad Affairs right now and its pretty entertaining.