recent purchases

[jethro]

lol thanks fo the info. There's a thread on kfc.com called something like "actors who only played good guys", and the actor had to be in somthing like at least 10 movies. Nobody came in to confirm whether or not Liu plays a villain in Trinity. I guess the movie must be pretty rare, till now that is. Even though Videoasia is a crap company, they have been putting out some good, and rare stuff. Their last "Martial Arts Essentials" release has Close Encounter with Vampire. From what I've heard it is a very rare movie. Here's what I posted on kfc.com about it (I'm too tired right now to give "new" thoughts)- The picture quality is bad but watchable. It's not really bad, just full screen and faded, and the subtitles run off the edges of the screen, though not enough so that I couldn't follow the movie. Just as the movie introduces Yuen Shun Yi's character, the VHS they used to record it on DVD dies. But then the movie starts over again Luckily there's no problems this time and it plays fine all the way through. I had a lot of fun watching this. I don't think it can be considered a great movie in any way, but I always enjoy seeing little kids fight, and one kid is smoking a joint!?! And the vampire stuff is good. Funny and kind of scary at the same time. And nice to see Chris Yen among the cast (Donnie's sister, an amazing young fighter), along with Leung Kar Yan, Yuen Cheung Yan and Yuen Yat Cho (just a cameo from him). Not much fighting in this movie, just good old Chinese vampire fun.

[Jimbo]

Hey, I saw that movie in Taiwan when it was released back in '86 or so. You're right, it's not a bad movie at all, but not much actual fighting. If I remember right, there are a group of kids that are in an opera (or k.f.) school(?). And I think the vampire ends up chasing Yuen Hsin-Yi and Leung Kar-Yan around near the end. I remember thinking it odd, because Yuen's the one usually playing the monster.

My fave Chinese vampire movie is still the original Mr. Vampire. Even though the vampire played by Yuen Wah is cheesey-looking, it can be a bit scary, esp. near the end when he's walking normally. Plus, the cinematography on that one is excellent.

I wonder if some company will ever release Shaw's The Fake Ghost Catchers. I believe it stars Fu Sheng, Norman Tsui, and Wang Lung-Wei. If it's the one I remember, Norman Tsui does a "zombie-style" kung fu where he moves all stiffly to fight Wang Lung-Wei. It predates Mr. Vampire by a few years, but then, a lot of horror comedies came after Encounter of the Spooky Kind (Spooky Encounters) by Sammo Hung.

Is Toby Russell involved with Rarescope? It would be interesting if he could release some of the better rare k.f. movies that are really good. So much cr@p gets released.

I'd really like Tokyo Shock to get Two Fists Against the Law and a lot of the other hard-to-find Seasonal Films, but to have a better remaster than We Are Goint to Eat You...I could still see some film scratches on that one.

[jethro]

Yep, that's the one. I was also surprised that Yuen Shun Yi didn't play the main villain. I'm not really a fan of the Chinese vampire movies. I made it like halfway through Mr Vampire, and I gave up. It was a bad quality VHS though. I did like Magic Cop with Lam Ching Ying quite a bit. I think I gave it a rating of 3.5/5. Toby Russell is the main guy behind Rarescope. He's put out some really good stuff, but like you, some stuff I didn't like. But I'm not complaining. I would love to see them release more movies. I miss seeing those movies at Best Buy. they must not have sold that well. Sad.

[jethro]

I bought and watched a couple movies recently that I hadn't seen since I was in like 4th or 5th grade. Bad Boys with Sean Penn and Class of 1999. Class of 1999 is an odd gem, that I think could have been a great movie. The first half of the movie is abolutely brilliant, in every way. The lead actor I don't recognize, but he gives an amazing performance. The plot involves robot teachers coming into a bad school to clean it up. It is kind of a mix of the Jim Belushi movie The Principal, and Terminator. The first half of the movie is perfection, but the second half gets too cheesy, but still fun to watch.

Bad Boys is a great movie, that is if you like dramas. The dialogue kept me interested all the way through. The only scene I remembered clearly from when I saw it as a kid was the pop can scene. Such a great scene. I don't want to give anything away in case you haven't seen this movie, so all I will say is that it involves pop cans, and it is very brutal.

[Jimbo]

Ah, yes, the famous pop can scene! I haven't seen Bad Boys since the '80s sometime. Good movie! I hadn't heard of Class of 1999, but it sounds interesting. By your description, it also sounds a bit like The Stepford Wives.

Well, I watched Legend of the Black Scorpion (LBS). Without wanting to get too much into the story, let's just say I found it way beyond artsy-f@rtsy and into airey-fairlyland...more than any movie I've ever seen, period. IMO it's really not enough to have a great musical composer and cinematography. The movie works really hard to wow you with the cinematography, almost in an attempt to hide the fact that it's really not much of a movie. Boring, overly-dramatic dialogue, and unlikeable characters that elicit zero sympathy when they die. I dozed off twice and wasn't even tired.

The Hollywood Reporter says, and I'm paraphrasing, "Yuen Woo-Ping, the greatest action choreographer in the world, may have outdone himself." In what way? Have they not seen Fist of Legend or a hundred other examples of his work?? It goes to show you that a glowing endorsement by a "legitimate" newspaper(?) doesn't mean they necessarily know what they're talking about.

Sorry, it's the bad case of buyer's remorse talking. By comparison: as bad as Trinity Goes East (TGE) is, at least it has its moments, and to its credit, TGE looks to have been filmed on only a few thousand dollars' budget, on a roll of toilet paper. I think from now on, I'll pass on any more of the new mainland Chinese imperial court intrigues, Yuen Woo-Ping or not.

This is but one more example of why I favor most of the newer Japanese action and fantasy movies way over the wuxia/imperial dramas. The latter have gone completely stale.

[kungpowmaster]

Hi all,

I just bought the Bruce Lee Ultimate Collection.
And I noticed a slight "defect" when I was watching the English dub of The Big Boss, and wondered if anyone else has this on theirs. It's one of those things I would not think it was "just my copy".

It's the point where 2 of the brothers is asking the foreman where one of their other brothers(or someone) was, and the foreman was telling them. The foreman was in his office, and the 2 guys were on the ground below. I don't recall the exact words, but he said something like "Old Wang went home". But during this scene in the dubbed track, the audio gets a little jumbled, and the old foreman is speaking the younger guys words, and vice verca, then it's back to how it should be. It's a slight thing, but I surely noticed it.

Anyone else noticed that? Or read a review that mentions that? Such a thing seems odd that it'd just be my copy, and I really don't wanna take it back, as usually stuff like this is the same on them all.

Thanks.

Also picked up Heroes Two on Tokyo Shock. I have not seen this before/yet.

Comments welcome,

Chosen One

[jethro]

HA! Nice one Jimbo. Sounds like Yuen Woo Ping's best work

Kungpowmaster from what I've heard there are no perfect versions of the Bruce lee movies. And I liked Heroes Two. Not a great movie, but great for fans of Fu Sheng and Chen Kuan Tai. Kuan Tai is on another level in this movie. And it comes with an audio commentary from the late Linn Haynes, the most knowledgable kung fu fan I ever met.

[Zenshiite]

I bought Kung Fu Panda and the Secrets of the Furious Five yesterday for my son! Awesome.

[jethro]

I'm gonna have to get that Kung Fu Panda sometime. Let me know how the secrets of the Furious Five is. I'm guessing it's just deleted scenes spliced together to seem like it's a movie? it would be cool if I'm wrong.

And I just got The Thunderbolt fist. I can't wait to watch this tonight.

[Jimbo]

Picked up:
Born to Fight (original 1986 versioon).
Thunderbolt Fist (latest Image/Celestial Shaw release).

Today I almost bought Black Belt (Kuro Obi). This is what I really wanted. Unfortunately, when I went to pay for it (at Frye's), the lady said she couldn't sell it to me. WTF?! I picked it up off the normal DVD rack. She said it "isn't supposed to be on sale yet." Oh, well. No biggie, maybe that's the protocol, but that's gotta be the dumbest thing anyone has ever told me in a store. Otherwise, why was it out and priced??

Jethro, if you have a Frye's electronics, they had some good m.a. movies, all mixed in with the action section. I saw Shinobi No Mono part 1 there for $16.99, which is $8 less than I got it for at FYE. I got Born to Fight at Frye's, but later got Thunderbolt Fist (TB) at BB. TB looks like the typical early '70s Chinese vs. Japanese story, probably a rip-off of Chinese Connection. I recognized James Nam on the cover, but the cast and director are not listed on the back cover.

It will be interesting to see how the original Born to Fight compares to the remake. I'm betting on some crazy stunts in this one!

Kungpowmaster:
Heroes Two is a great film, IMO. It's the first of Chang Cheh's Shaolin series. Fu Sheng plays Fang Shih-Yu (Cantonose pronunciation: Fong Sai-Yuk). I think he acted as the best onscreen Fang Shih-Yi/Fong Sai-Yuk; others, including Jet Li, have played the historical figure as well. It's a good quality film that, although a movie, actually feels historical.

I'm a bit conflicted about Frye's; it seems very weird that you can't buy something that's clearly marked and displayed for sale. Makes me wonder if I go back and spot another lucky find, if they won't be able to sell me that, either.

[Jimbo]

I'd also like to get Kung Fu Panda, too. I enjoyed it in the theater. And I got the impression from reading the back cover that the Furious Five extra DVD was something like an animated kung fu lesson(?).

[jethro]

Fu Sheng was great as Fong Sai Yuk, though even with just 1 time playing the role, I have to give the edge to Hsiao Ho in Disciples of the 36th Chamber. Hsiao Ho is such a beast.

I don't have a Frye's in my area. I wish I did. That sucks about Black Belt. i think it comes out on tuesday.

I've been watching a bunch of movies lately, but the one that really stood out to me was a Johnnie To/Wai Ka Fai produced movie (from their Milkyway Image company) called Expect the Unexpected, starring Lau Ching Wan and Simon Yam. I've had this movie for awhile, and I don't know why I passed up watching it for so long. I was thinking about what movie I should watch tonight, and I looked it up on hkmdb.com. I clicked on the director Patrick Yau, and after seeing that he directed my favorite non-MA HK movie, The Longest Nite, I put it into the DVD player right away. This movie really lives up to its name. I rate it a 4/5.

DOon't expect a great movie in BTF, but I loved it. And I got the version that came with a movie called Thai Police Story. I liked that movie even more than BTF. Crazy stuff in those movies.

BTW, be on the lookout for Bushido 12 coming out on December 2nd. Tons of good looking matches, including Minowa vs Butterbean. I haven't seen that fight, but I've seen a highlight of Minowa doing an amazing double leg flying kick to Butterbean that totally catches Butterbean off guard. I've never seen anyone actually land one of those kicks in a MMA fight. I can't even describe how excited I am to see that fight, which probably means I will be disappointed.

One more thing, let me know what you think of that final death blow in Thunderbolt Fist

[Jimbo]

lol, I thought the final death kick in Thunderbolt Fist is hilarious! Other than that, the movie is like a bunch of '70s-era Chinese and Korean films dealing with Japanese villains. I wasn't paying too much attention during the opening credits, but this film could be by the same director of King Boxer (Five Fingers of Death), who was a Korean director. Many of the same actors are in TB. The fights are not that great; about the same level as the non-Bruce Lee fights in Bruce Lee's movies. I was glad to see Shih Szu in it, but her fights are not convincing. The stuntmen are clearly working overtime to sell her moves. And a bald Tang Wei (Tung Wai) plays James Nam's character as a boy, which is cool.

Of all the performers, James Nam seemed the most convincing in his fights, probably because he acts so wild. Nam gives me the impression he could be one of those guys who would have lost control and accidentally hit other actors with higher-than-normal frequency. He's great when he flails his arms in the air and screams like a maniac! On a side note, one actor who actually did lose control too often during filming was Wang Tao, who had to practice slowing his hands down in front of people's faces.

Expect the Unexpected sounds like a good one; I'll have to look into it. Another one I've been interested in is Breaking News, directed by Johnny To.

I liked the fights in BTF a lot. Panna even did some movie kung fu that looks heavily inspired by Jackie in Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. He did a lot of different moves really well, and his weapons fights were better than Tony Jaa's, at least up to now. But the story was bad, about the same level as Trinity Goes East, only not as silly. But even the 4 to 5 villains/stuntmen in the makeshift ninja costumes are awesome. On a physical level, any one of those guys could stand with the very best in movies today, and even outdo most of them. I haven't watched Thai Police Story yet.

Is the new Born to Fight actually a remake? Because to me they seem like completely different movies, with no resemblance whatsoever, other than the title. I thought the fights themselves were superior in the 1986 version, but that the remake was slightly overall better as a movie, not counting the obviously better cinematography.

[jethro]

Yeah the only thing that is the same in BTF is the name. But I'm guessing it was one of Panna's best stunt movies, so he chose to name his new movie BTF to let people know that it would be all about the stunts. I like the original better, but I think what's coolest about the new BTF is that you get to see what Panna can do with a big budget. Both bad movies, but BRUTAL action and stunts. Glad we can agree on this. We just like seeing people get fukced up

And I agree James Nam was great in Thunderbolt Fist. I too love the way he flails his arms around. There's 2 things that makes basher action great. Hard hitting real type action as seen in that fight between Yukio Sumeno and Larry Lee at the opening pf Top Fighter, and being able to flair your arms around like that and look cool, like Bruce Leung and James Nam in LIttle Superman, and Wang Yu and Lung Fei in One Armed Boxer. Unfortunately, Thunderbolt Fist only delivers the arm flailing, and not the hard hitting action. Really ugly kicks and ugly choreography in Thunderbolt Fist. But still, I can't explain it, but I enjoyed the movie quite a lot. Maybe it's because that final death blow left me so satisfied And it's also really cool to see basher action in a Shaw movie. I don't think they made too many of those.

Breaking news is a good movie. I rate it between a 3.5/5 and a 4. Johnnie To was looking to bring something new to the cops and robbers genre, and he accomplished what he set out to do.

Also, I didn't know that about Wong Tao. Cool info. And did you ever get that Along Come a Tiger DVD? I didn't like the movie, but the commentary with Wong Tao is quite nice. TOby Russel joins him on the commentary. As much as I respect Toby, he should not be doing commentaries. He is just so boring. And that reminds me, Life Gamble no longer has that commentary listed under the specs, but the interviews are still listed. As boring as Toby sounds on a commentary, I still want to hear that commentary with him, Lee I Min and Robert Tai. I got my fingers crossed that it will still be on the DVD.

[kungpowmaster]

Hi,

I am not a DVD technition, I don't really know much about how it all works.

But I came across a "glitch" that I'd never had before, and it makes me wonder if this could be just my copy, or is it likely they all are like this.
I'm a frustrated perfectionist, and not sure if I want to take it back, if it's likely they all are like this, as well as it being a very slight, not even sure what to call it, mess up?, not sure if it's worth the bother to return it.

It's on the newest Bruce Lee set, called Ultimate Collection. It has a blueish cover, and 5 movies in slimline cases with Fortune Star on the spines.
The movie is "The Big Boss". I bought this set 2, hmm, maybe 3 weeks ago.

I was watching the English dubbed audio option, it has 2, the DTS would not play on my setup, so I was playing the 1st and default one.
At about 25:55 in, there is a slight audio mix up, where one of the charaters dub voice, is being mixed up with another character. It only lasts a couple of seconds, but it is noticable. This disc also has 2 different Chinese audio tracks, and I watched the scene with those too, and they both played fine. So it has a very short audio "glitch" only on the 1:English audio track. The visual of the scene is fine, and the other audio options are fine.

So, while it may seem trivial, I am wondering if something like this, is more than likely something that is on the source developed, and is on them all? Or could this be a single defect just on my disc?

It kinda bugs me, and I'm not sure if I want to try and exchange it, or just say F it.

Comments requested,

Chosen One