9 kick-ass kung fu movies you need to see before you die

fun video from the NERDIST.com

Quote:

---

Attachment 10278
The 1970s must have been a terrifying time to be alive. Not only were we dealing with the end of the Vietnam War and entering into a period of economic malaise, but literally everyone was kung fu fighting. And if Carl Douglas is to be believed, those kicks were fast as lightning. As someone who doesn’t want to fight or get lightning kicked, I prefer my kung fu to be on the silver screen rather than within striking distance. And we have a feeling that you do too, which is why we’ve launched a brand new film series entitled Shaw Brothers Kung Fu Theatre on Alpha, Nerdist and Geek & Sundry’s new streaming service. Over 8 weeks, we’ll be screening some of the greatest kung fu films ever made brought to you by the studio that popularized the genre, with live commentary by Nerdist associate editor Kyle Anderson, me, and a host of special guests too!

From films like Five Deadly Venoms to The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and beyond, we’re going to give you a crash course in some of the finest cuts from the Shaw Brothers Studio vault. So, in honor of the martial arts mayhem about to unfold over the next two months, I’ve put together a primer on some of the greatest kung fu films ever made. Whether you’re a newcomer to the genre or a lifelong fan, these are essential viewing for increasing your kung fu IQ.

---

Their first movie (for those of you who haven't seen it) is FIVE DEADLY VENOMS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THld5wMeomY

I find it a bit odd that nowadays, kung fu movie fans are considered "nerds". Maybe that applies to some of the younger generation of fans. Back in the '70s and early '80s when I used to go see KF films, you had to take some risks. The only theaters that showed them were grindhouses (or drive-ins) in 'rough' seedy areas frequented by 'rough' crowds. Anybody who did this in an urban setting back in the day will know what I'm talking about. Among others, there were thugs, drunks, dope heads, nutcases, sailors, etc. Even the couple of Chinese-language theaters had some Asian gang members in the audience. You definitely did not want to stand out in such an environment. Sometimes fights would break out. I guess I was lucky; the worst that ever happened to me/us was occasionally leaving a theater with clothes smelling of pot. Not once did I ever spot a 'nerd' in the crowd.

Greetings,

I guess the nerds have a right to define themselves, regardless of how repulsive it may be. I guess it is better than having them admit that there is something wrong with them.

Jimbo,

I, too, went the same route that you did when it came to the movies. When I got to Chinatown, I stayed there, catching movies a few years before they hit 42nd street. That was HEAVEN.

Did you notice anything missing from the intro of the Scorpion in the 5 Venom trailer? I distinctly remember the Scorpion throwing darts in a quick shot. Do you? So when the Frog got coins thrown at his ears, I knew which one did it before he called out the Scorpions name.

mickey

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mickey

Greetings,

I guess the nerds have a right to define themselves, regardless of how repulsive it may be. I guess it is better than having them admit that there is something wrong with them.

Jimbo,

I, too, went the same route that you did when it came to the movies. When I got to Chinatown, I stayed there, catching movies a few years before they hit 42nd street. That was HEAVEN.

Did you notice anything missing from the intro of the Scorpion in the 5 Venom trailer? I distinctly remember the Scorpion throwing darts in a quick shot. Do you? So when the Frog got coins thrown at his ears, I knew which one did it before he called out the Scorpions name.

mickey

---

mickey,

TBH, I don't remember the Scorpion ever throwing darts in the intro scene.

As you did, I eventually discovered Chinese-language theaters. There were only a couple of them where I lived. The Vietnamese-owned one was bigger, lasted longer and scheduled a new quadruple feature every week. Mostly Shaw Brothers, but also some Golden Harvests and independents. Many (most?) of those KF and wuxia films never even made it into the grindhouses in English-dubbed form. Also many Shaw horror films as well. I much preferred the Chinese language versions (particularly Mandarin) to the English dubs. It also helped me a good deal with hearing pronunciation, as I was studying Mandarin at the time (before Mandarin was the cool thing to learn) in preparation to move to Taiwan. Plus, audiences weren't as raucous in the Asian theaters as in the standard grindhouse theaters.

Sometimes the raucous behavior and big audience reactions added to the experience, though. That scene in The Last Dragon, with Bruce Leroy in the theater watching Enter The Dragon and the crowd behavior/reactions, although exaggerated a bit for cinematic effect, was actually a fairly accurate depiction of the grindhouse/KF movie experience.

As far as nerds go, I have no issues with them. Nowadays, it seems that being a nerd is considered the 'cool' thing (The Big Bang Theory and countless other TV shows and movies). It's just weird how the image of the KF movie-viewing demographic has changed 180 degrees from the 'old days'. I doubt that very many of today's 'KF movie nerds' would have even gone to, much less withstood, some of the old grindhouse environments. I hope that doesn't come across as elitist, but it was a type of experience of the past that will never happen again, and can never be recreated.