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Thread: recent purchases

  1. #61
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    Hey Jimbo, check this out if you get a chance. LOADS of bootlegging information, mainly concerning Red Sun/Panmedia. Amazing how much these guys know- http://kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3603
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  2. #62
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    I'll have to read that when I go into my Sunday job again. It all came up blank when I tried it tonight. Until then, I'll be guessing that Yin Yang Films is another name for Banzai/Red Sun/etc.

    Come ON, Image/Celestial/Dragon Dynasty! Accelerate the releases of the better Shaw classics!

  3. #63
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    Hey Jimbo, Celestial is done remastering movies, but I agree that Image and DD should be releasing more Shaw movies. But don't hold your breath.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  4. #64
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    Well, today I picked up the used Secret Rivals 3 and will watch it later tonight, hopefully it'll work on my DVD player.
    Along with it, I also got the Rarescope release of Choi Lee Fut. I already have it, but that version is the Black Belt Theater or something version, which is probably not as well presented.

    At the store, I saw a new Celestial Shaw Bros release, The Bells of Death, starring Chang Yi. I'd never heard of that one, but it looked like it could be pretty good. It said the movie was from 1968. Well, if Celestial is through remastering movies, maybe now they and DD can start releasing their region 3 collection on standard release. I really want the Chang Cheh's Fu Sheng/ Shaolin series. I know they have Shaolin Martial Arts and Disciple of Shaolin, at least, on region 3, probably all the rest, too.

    I watched The Wandering Swordsman last night. It's a decent movie. It looks like it was shot back to back or simultaneous with Have Sword Will Travel. Almost all the extras and supporting cast were the same. What always amazed me about Chang Cheh's Shaw movies was that he appears to seemlessly mesh outdoor scenes filmed probably in Taiwan with shots done in the interior Shaw studios in HK. It was fun spotting Yuen Chung-Yan, Yuen Sum-Yi (Yuen Xinyi), Bolo Yeung, Chen Sing, Cliff Lok, etc., in bit parts. I liked both of these movies about the same, pretty good, but neither as much as I liked The One-Armed Swordsman with Wang Yu. That one was a surprise for me that I liked it so much.

  5. #65
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    BTW:
    I've seen a new release from DD, called Dog Bite Dog. Does anyone know if this one is any good?

  6. #66
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    I heard Dog Bite Dog is good. I plan on getting it when I can. I heard it was a dark and violent movie, so I really want to see it.

    And the best part of that CLF disc is the interview with Cliff Lok. He is thicker nowadays, but he's still got it.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  7. WooChibaChanKlan

    Hi,

    I recently watched Hardboiled, I borrowed from a friend. I was curious about John Woo, as I read that movie Mr. X was similar, and it is, minus the Godfrey Ho.

    I don't know if I mentioned it, but I got the Welcome to the Grindhouse DVD double feature of The Bodyguard and Sister Street Fighter, with Sonny Chiba. Watching The Bodyguard is decent picture and widescreen is a great and totally different experience than the washed out pan and scan versions out on various PD releases. I want to get their other Sonny Chiba Grindhouse set with Dragon Princess and Karate Warrior. I have these titles already, but only in the pan and scan washed out PD releases.

    Yesterday I picked up Jackie Chan in Police Story. It was 2 bucks, so I couldn't say no. I haven't seen this, and I didn't have it already. It's the Media Asia release. I read some negative things about this, but I scanned through it, and it looks like a nice image and in widescreen, and the subs were legible. Apart from being nitpicky, which one can always find something wrong with every release, I didn't see anything majorly "bad" about it.

    Oh, I also picked up a VHS for 50 cents, called Ninja Vengeance. I haven't seen it yet, but the reviews I read were terrible. About a "ninja" American guy who fights the Klan in some southern state. The idea sounds promising for a cheese fest.

    Chosen One

  8. #68
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    kungpowmaster:
    Police Story is a pretty good Jackie Chan film. For, me, the only part I really liked was the end fight in the mall -- classic Chan stuff!

    My favorite Chiba movies are The Killing Machine (a.k.a., Shorinji Kempo), and Karate Bearfighter (surprisingly). Karate Bullfighter is more hokey, but Karate For Life was not a bad one. I'm kinda hot and cold as far as Chiba's movies go.
    I have one of the poor versions of The Bodyguard. Was that the one with a cheesey part with William Louie in New York doing a Bruce Lee imitation, that has nothing to do with Chiba at all, other than a mention of him catching a flight back to Japan?

    Jethro:
    Today I went on the Kung Fu Cinema site. Some interesting stuff. I read the thread on Panmedia/Red Sun and was intrigued. Suffice to say, I will continue to stay away from those DVDs.

    I had to laugh at one thread talking about Chang Cheh's movie Shaolin Martial Arts, how most of the responders were panning it as a poorly made or boring film. Well, everyone has an opinion, I guess. Every person I've shown it to who is an experienced kung fu practitioner has agreed that it's one of the best martial arts movies ever made, and its depiction of repetitive training on relatively simple moves over a long period and for a specific purpose, even though simplified/movie-ized, is a lot more accurate than in almost any other kung fu film. Perhaps many of the posters don't actually practice kung fu, or like many (probably) younger viewers, cannot relate to a movie that takes its time to build up; that lacks flash or quick-cut editing of the '80s and later.

    And you're right, the best part of the CLF movie is the Cliff Lok demo/interview. His 6 Harmony 8 Methods style actually looks better now than he did 20-plus years ago. My CLF sifu in America was in a public demo that also featured Cliff Lok, Shek Kin, Marc Singer (Beastmaster), and many L.A.-based martial artists in 1984. Cliff was much thinner and more acrobatic then, but he looks much looser and more powerful now. I still wish they'd had someone else do the CLF, as his movement at CLF seems odd. But it's obvious he knows his own specialty very well.

  9. #69
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    Yeah Jimbo Bodyguard is the one where it starts out with that really cheesy scene with Bill Louie.

    Check out the Dragon Princess/Karate Warriors 2 pack. Both movies are very good. Look for it in the horror section at Best Buy. It is only $9.99.

    And I haven't seen Shaolin Martial Arts so I can't comment. There is one person on that site (well, there are a lot of people) that knows A LOT about Shaw Brothers movies. He knows a lot more than me, and he lists Disciples of Shaolin as his favorite. He has What price is Honesty as #10. THose are 2 movies I have to see, along with Shaolin Martial Arts.
    Last edited by jethro; 10-28-2007 at 07:13 PM.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  10. #70
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    Jethro:
    Disciples of Shaolin is tied for my second-favorite KF movie, along with Men from the Monastery. It's a great film. In fact, Chi Kuan-Chun, who co-starred in it, says Disciples was his own personal favorite film.

    I do have Dragon Princess. Except for the shaky, Cops-style camerawork, there are some good scenes in it; Yasuaki Kurata almost steals the show.

    I was able to watch Secret Rivals 3. I got it used for only $5.99. It was in good condition, and you're right, the picture is not great but still acceptable, and at least it's widescreened so the picture doesn't get all cut off. Seeing it again after more than 20 years, I forgot how much Chin Lung actually does in the film. It's too bad he wasn't used more; he moves much better and more powerfully IMO than Yuen Tak, Corey Yuen, Li Yi-Min, and many of the other Peking Opera acrobats of that period. Most of the late-'70s films directed by Chang Hsin-Yi were very good, better than many of the Lee Tso-Nan films.

    Too bad Pagoda Films (an offshoot of the old Crash Cinema) is no longer aroung. They took independent KF films and gave them awesome remasters, almost in the same league as Celestial's Shaw remasters. Hopefully some other company(s) will come along and start remastering those old Taiwanese kung fu films like Secret Rivals 3 and others.

  11. #71
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    I just got 'Snake Deadly Act' and 'Buddha's Palm and Dragon Fist'. Both very good. I can't decide which I liked more.

    I also got Saviour of the Soul. Really sucky movie. I only made it through the first 15 minutes. I may try it again some time.


    Hey Jimbo, check this out when you can. The Big Gundown trailer- http://youtube.com/watch?v=e3eaTcNpKuA that trailer is for the music (Secret Rivals), this trailer is for the action- http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ub7_LLzNwds
    Last edited by jethro; 10-29-2007 at 11:28 PM.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  12. #72
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    Thanks for The Big Gundown link. I will try to look into it next Sunday.
    I've been trying to track down a CD with the soundtrack to that film, but haven't been able to find it, at least here in the States.

    Another good soundtrack music I don't know the origin of is found in Shaolin Martial Arts, but other parts of that same soundtrack can be heard in Heroes of the Wild and at the very end of The Wandering Swordsman, when Lily Li is envisioning David Chiang riding his horse after he's died.

    Who stars in Buddha's Palm and Dragon Fist?

    I have the VHS of Snake Deadly Act, and it is a good film. Oddly, the guy who plays the lead, I don't remember seeing him in any films before or after that.

    I'm considering picking up The Bells of Death, one I mentioned previously by Image. I'm enjoying more and more the Shaw films of the '60s. Before these remastered Image releases, the only '60s Shaws I'd seen were like Come Drink With Me(1966) and some others. They used to bore me, but now I appreciate the stories and filmmaking a lot more. Also saw Vengeance is a Golden Blade and Shadow Whip available there. It takes sometimes 15 minutes going back and forth to decide which Shaw title to get or leave for later. It seems that once they've been out for a while, the price goes down by about $5.

  13. #73
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    I really enjoyed Shadow Whip, but from what I have heard Bells of Death is a lot better.

    Here is a review I just did for Buddha's Palm and Dragon Fist aka Roving Heroes (1980)-

    Chi Kuan Chun is sent to look for a killer. Kuan Chun is a student at Shaolin and Lee I Min is mad that Kuan Chun was chosen to go. The rest of the movie is nonstop fights and comedy with Lee I Min playing jokes on Kuan Chun. It does get serious at times, but there is too much fighting to have a good plot. That's right, TOO MUCH FIGHTING! But I am not complaining, no sir. The fights are the reason I watch these movies. If the fighting wasn't good, then I would have a problem, but luckily the fights are very good. And overall the movie is above average with lots of good comedy. So turn your brain off and enjoy.

    The choreography is done by the main villain of the movie Suen Shu Pau. I am guessing Robert Tai also had a hand in the action because I spotted him in the movie. The fighting is very dance like and it is so much fun to watch. There are too many fights to go over (11 major fights to be exact), but I will tell you that the final fight is the best. It is fast and furious and 8 minutes long.

    3.5/5

    The Videoasia DVD has poor picture quality, but don't worry, it is still watchable.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  14. #74
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    spl

    i just bought the DD release of this film listen to all the commentary on it and i gotta say this is still one of my favorite martial arts films of all time. I enjoy this film so much even more then flashpoint, i love how donnie was talking about wanting to practice kung fu more but not being able to do to injuries from being a stunt man its crazy that with his age and all his injuries that he doesn't use a double jackie does it sammo had three on spl donnie said sammo couldn't even throw a back kick with all his injuries. and donnie took out his patented three person kick cause he couldn't get high enough when he jumped. interesting, cause imagine whats going to happen to tony jaa when he reach's there age he'snot gonna be able to walk.

  15. #75
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    Killzone is the best martial arts special edition DVD I have ever seen.

    Hey Doug, did you hear that Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa are talking about making a movie together? Damit, I just wet my pants again thinking about it.

    And just so you know, Donnie uses a stunt double on a lot of his films. Look at Flash Point. I saw at least a few scenes here he used a stunt double. And the reason he took out the triple kick in SPL/Killzone is because he has matured as a filmmaker. He can't get up like he used to, and the other reason is because it didn't fit in with the scene. Good decision by him. It would have taken away from the intensity in the fight between him and Sammo.
    Last edited by jethro; 10-31-2007 at 02:53 AM.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

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