What was the last classic martial-arts film you watched?

[paimeifist]

2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

The Mystery of Chess Boxing (1979) - I'm just going to come out and say it: I like this movie more than Drunken Master and Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. It simply does not mess around. Paper thin plot, a score that'll make you want to kill yourself, terrible wigs and fake facial hair but a non-stop ride of fight after fight after fight. I adore this movie. It's no budget film making at its absolute best. It has a goal and achieves it: to deliver action. Top stuf.

I love it also, but slightly prefer 7 Grandmasters. That fight between Corey Yuen and Jack Long... 😳 

 

I can barely remember Drunken Master or SITES. I really need to rewatch those and be attentive while doing so.

 

@TibetanWhiteCrane I think we all have movies that we enjoy more after additional viewings. This is actually the case with some favorites of mine.

[Duel to the Death]

10 minutes ago, Drunken Monk said:

It’s funny that @TibetanWhiteCrane and I watched the two films we did today as I just took this photo over the weekend...

I haven't seen the dvd version of Mystery of Chessboxing. Is it just full screen? 

[Drunken Monk]

17 minutes ago, Duel to the Death said:

I haven't seen the dvd version of Mystery of Chessboxing. Is it just full screen? 

That’s a VHS. But yeah, as far as I can recall the DVD version is full screen. I’ve never seen anything close to a widescreen version.

Hopefully we’ll see a Blu Ray release of that widescreen version that streamed recently.

[Duel to the Death]

1 minute ago, Drunken Monk said:

That’s a VHS. But yeah, as far as I can recall the DVD version is full screen. I’ve never seen anything close to a widescreen version.

Hopefully we’ll see a Blu Ray release of that widescreen version that streamed recently.

Ah I didn't notice that was a VHS. Actually the subbed version is wide-screen. But it has burned in hard to read subtitles. Someone from this forum shared it with me. And after that I found a slightly better quality version online. If interested I could try and upload it somewhere to share. 

[Killer Meteor]

6 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Super Dragon (1976) - Okay, so I need to turn my brain off and watch something incredibly dumb and fight filled after this one. I had not one iota of an idea as to what was going on in this film. NONE. Again, it could be my fault since I chose to work with this on in the background. But the plot totally alluded me. Something about an escort company, there are some pearls, Polly Shang Kuan's dead father, a flute player... NO FUCKING CLUE.

When I wasn't being eternally baffled I was loving the fight scenes. I think everyone gets their chance to shine here: John Cheung, Polly Shang Kuan, Mark Long, Cliff Lok and even Phillip Ko Fei. I'm actually not all that familiar with the work of Polly but she holds her own among the men here. I think I'll need to dig a little deeper into her filmography.

This movie does have a lot of fights and the action is great but I just lost what the hell was going on. For that reason alone I can't really say this film is great. If you follow along it might very well be something special.

This is from at least 1977 - there is Star Wars music in it for one thing!

[Duel to the Death]

Dance of the Drunk Mantis (Drunken Master 2) The fighting is excellent, Rubber Legs is excellent, Covid Kung Fu man is excellent, even fighting mom is excellent, but the comedy is dreadful and Foggy is so damn annoying. Even though his fighting skills are excellent he is super annoying. Ugh, it's hard to sit through him.

And another movie where Simon Yuen's body double movies 10 times as fast as him so it's not natural looking. So far out of his movies i seen, The Buddhist Fist is the only movie that got the speed right. 

[paimeifist]

9 hours ago, Duel to the Death said:

Dance of the Drunk Mantis (Drunken Master 2) The fighting is excellent, Rubber Legs is excellent, Covid Kung Fu man is excellent, even fighting mom is excellent, but the comedy is dreadful and Foggy is so damn annoying. Even though his fighting skills are excellent he is super annoying. Ugh, it's hard to sit through him.

And another movie where Simon Yuen's body double movies 10 times as fast as him so it's not natural looking. So far out of his movies i seen, The Buddhist Fist is the only movie that got the speed right. 

Haha, I love this movie man! It feels so adventurous and the characters are fun and memorable. I also actually enjoy the comedy, this is definitely one of my favorite classic Yuen clan movies. Yuen Shun Yi’s character is annoying, but early in the movie when he’s supposed to be pathetic, he’s way more convincing than others in similar movies!

To each their own!

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

Yuen Shun Yee just doesn't work for me as a leading man, though he comes admirably close... or as close as he can, in Buddhist Fist. In Drunk Mantis, not so much.

[DrNgor]

1 minute ago, TibetanWhiteCrane said:

Yuen Shun Yee just doesn't work for me as a leading man, though he comes admirably close... or as close as he can, in Buddhist Fist. In Drunk Mantis, not so much.

I would say this is the one factor that keeps Dance of the Drunk Mantis from being an all-around better film than Drunken Master. Even when playing an arrogant prick, Jackei Chan was far more charismatic.

[Liersi]

On 7/22/2020 at 2:54 AM, Duel to the Death said:

Goose Boxer  is a silly silly movie. The comedy is bad, about as bad as Bolo but i love it. It's so ridiculous and bad. Surprisingly it does have some good fighting. But you don't see that until 3/4 into the movie. Do i recommend this movie? Only if you like the worst comedy. But it does have Lee Hoi Sang so that's a plus. And whatever movie can you see a goose shit in someone's face? Or Kama Sutra Kung Fu? Or a plot that doesn't make much sense? 

I would really like to watch a subbed version in it's original language to see how different it feels. 

Based on your recommendation (lol) I watched this last night. Your description is spot on. The movie starts and immediately a goose shits in someone's face. You said it, but this was still a surprise. It was a lot of goose shit. The film then maintains that tone and shits everywhere, just like the goose. If it weren't for the oddly excellent choreo by Tommy Lee this would by bottom-of-the-barrel comedy. Charles Heung is a void of charisma. He's physically in top shape, but getting comedy out of him is like squeezing water from a stone. Who thought of putting this guy in the Jackie Chan part? So the film's bad, but then there's Gao Fei and Li Haisheng, and they are on form. As DttD said, so is Tommy Lee orchestrating the fights. Gao Fei and Li Haisheng are outstanding together. In the finale, even Charles does well imitating all manner of fowl and fish. The only time he's actually funny is when Tommy makes his style so ridiculous you can't help but laugh.

The film can only be recommended for fight diehards and goose shit afficionados. Tommy Lee, Li Haisheng and Gao Fei put the tastiest icing on a turd. And what was that goose style? Am I laughing at the film or with the film?

[JackieRome]

11 hours ago, Duel to the Death said:

Dance of the Drunk Mantis (Drunken Master 2) The fighting is excellent, Rubber Legs is excellent, Covid Kung Fu man is excellent, even fighting mom is excellent, but the comedy is dreadful and Foggy is so damn annoying. Even though his fighting skills are excellent he is super annoying. Ugh, it's hard to sit through him.

And another movie where Simon Yuen's body double movies 10 times as fast as him so it's not natural looking. So far out of his movies i seen, The Buddhist Fist is the only movie that got the speed right. 

I hated it. a by-product with few noteworthy elements. I do not understand all these positive opinions it enjoys.

[DrNgor]

13 minutes ago, JackieRome said:

I hated it. a by-product with few noteworthy elements. I do not understand all these positive opinions it enjoys.

- It expands the DM universe by suggesting that the Drunken Fist is only a substyle of a larger umbrella style;
- Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee continues to prove that he's no one-trick pony by doing drunken style and mantis style in addition to his legendary legwork;
- Action director Corey Yuen gets to fight onscreen;
- Linda Lin Ying gets more fight time;
- Classic battle of cups;
- Sam Seed/Beggar So gets a backstory;
- Lots and lots of intricate choreography.

Sorry, but what the heck isn't there to love about this?

Edited July 23, 2020 by DrNgor

[paimeifist]

21 minutes ago, JackieRome said:

I hated it. a by-product with few noteworthy elements. I do not understand all these positive opinions it enjoys.

What don’t you understand? Spectacular choreography, expands and create a more fleshed out universe/characters, classic HK comedy that some enjoy and some don’t, as with any similar movie, including Jackie’s!

Hate or love the character, Yuen Shun Yi gets to strut his stuff and show he’s as competent a screen fighter as anyone else in the family.

 

Dislike it all you want bro, but don’t just act like it’s “no good”, and say you can’t understand how others would like it!

[Duel to the Death]

My tastes are all over the place. Sometimes I love some of the movies everybody hates and vice versa. Sometimes I like the terrible comedy like in Bolo or Goose Boxer but can't stand it in Dance of the Drunk Mantis. 

[Drunken Monk]

I thought I'd get in on the discussion and re-watch Dance of the Drunken Mantis this afternoon. While I respect the film and do think it's a classic of the genre (without question), I do have my issues with it. I usually like Yuen Wo Ping when he's doing fight heavy gimmick-less martial arts movies like, say, Legend of a Fighter or when he's going absolutely bonkers with films like Miracle Fighters.
I feel like Dance... walks an unusual line between these two sides to Woo Ping's coin. Some of it features great fight choreography while some of it features almost dance like set pieces where no one really hits anyone. It can be somewhat frustrating if expecting more traditional kung fu action.
Also, medicine fist is nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing as drunken boxing. A lot of it looks very silly (see also: Sleeping Fist). Sometimes silly is good and sometimes silly is bad. This time around I wasn't so much a fan.
Now that isn't to say I don't like the film. I do. I think when the fights really kick off they are truly superb. Rubber Legs is an awesome villain, Corey Yuen's spear work is top notch and a part of me really likes Foggy even is he does seem a little "challenged" at times. I also love the dub on this one.
Drunken Master has just the right amount of goofiness and I feel Dance... takes it just a smidgen too far. That's what, in my eyes, takes it from a 5 star film to a 4 star film.

[JackieRome]

7 hours ago, DrNgor said:

- It expands the DM universe by suggesting that the Drunken Fist is only a substyle of a larger umbrella style;
- Legendary Superkicker Hwang Jang Lee continues to prove that he's no one-trick pony by doing drunken style and mantis style in addition to his legendary legwork;
- Action director Corey Yuen gets to fight onscreen;
- Linda Lin Ying gets more fight time;
- Classic battle of cups;
- Sam Seed/Beggar So gets a backstory;
- Lots and lots of intricate choreography.

Sorry, but what the heck isn't there to love about this?

it's a ridiculous film. poor in all respects. not exceptional fights, actors not up to par and silly comedy. it only takes advantage of Chan's success. Personal tastes ... I want to underline it.

[ShawAngela]

Duel in Chu Sin 1969 : Fung Bo Bo and Chun Pui team up as immortals going against an evil other immortal (or is it a human being who is a real evil ?) stealing 10 000 souls (if I remember well).

Typically Cantonese Fantasy movie, with monsters, Hell, people changing their faces as if it was easier than breath and so on.

[ShawAngela]

Song Jing Shi 1976 : I rewatched this TVB movie and realized that I had forgotten a lot of things. Adam Cheng co stars with Chow Yun Fat (it's so funny to see him with long hair !), Tung Wei (if I remember well) and Kwan Hoi San, and plays a hero rebel to the Qings, if I'm not mistaken.

[ShawAngela]

Dragon on shaolin tower 1980 : I got the French dvd of this movie and I enjoyed it a lot. It's rare to see Lung Tien Hsiang as the lead in a movie and he does a good job, together with Tung Li and the guy who plays this latter's elder student.

 

Near the end of the movie, there are seven fighters that apear to help Lung Tien Hsiang and they talk about them being "the seven from Xiluo", so, I wonder if this movie could be related to the old TV series Seven swords of Xiluo and the recent one with Gordon Liu New Seven Swords of Xiluo. Does anyone have any idea ?

Edited August 14, 2020 by ShawAngela

[JackieRome]

7 hours ago, paimeifist said:

What don’t you understand? Spectacular choreography, expands and create a more fleshed out universe/characters, classic HK comedy that some enjoy and some don’t, as with any similar movie, including Jackie’s!

Hate or love the character, Yuen Shun Yi gets to strut his stuff and show he’s as competent a screen fighter as anyone else in the family.

 

Dislike it all you want bro, but don’t just act like it’s “no good”, and say you can’t understand how others would like it!

you are too touchy. it was a pure and simple question: why does he enjoy this fame? and you answered me. you could have spared the final part. I disagree on the positives of this film and move on in our lives. for me it continues to look like a mediocre product.

[paimeifist]

19 hours ago, JackieRome said:

you are too touchy. it was a pure and simple question: why does he enjoy this fame? and you answered me. you could have spared the final part. I disagree on the positives of this film and move on in our lives. for me it continues to look like a mediocre product.

Haha, I'm not touchy man. I'm just saying, I find it hard to believe that you "can't understand" how it "enjoys positive opinions"! If nothing else, the action is straight dope, and that's undeniable! There are movies that I can't stand, but I can still see how others would enjoy them. 

 

 

Breaker! Breaker!

While the synopsis for this movie sounded ridiculous, it ended up being pretty good. Chuck Norris is a trucker, he lets his younger brother haul a load for him. His younger brother gets his truck stolen and is thrown in the slammer by the corrupt judge and police force of some little town. Chuck goes on a butt kicking rampage, and eventually is assisted by an armada of big rig trucks. 

Chuck shows some good moves, and the action is decent for the more "realistic" style of action, especially for a 70s American movie. There aren't really "fights", mostly hill billies getting whomped by a young and clean cut Chuck Norris. The only aspect of the movie I didn't like was some country music with awful vocals related to trucking which I believe were made for the movie. (Someone was credited for "vocals" in the end credits..) The instrumental country music was kinda cool/fitting and made the movie fun, but when vocals were involved I wasn't a fan. 

Went in this one with extremely low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. A decent Chuck Norris movie where he shoes some cool kicks, even if he's pretty much uncontested in the fights.

Edited July 24, 2020 by paimeifist

[Duel to the Death]

1 hour ago, paimeifist said:

Breaker! Breaker!

While the synopsis for this movie sounded ridiculous, it ended up being pretty good. Chuck Norris is a trucker, he lets his younger brother haul a load for him. His younger brother gets his truck stolen and is thrown in the slammer by the corrupt judge and police force of some little town. Chuck goes on a butt kicking rampage, and eventually is assisted by an armada of big rig trucks. 

Chuck shows some good moves, and the action is decent for the more "realistic" style of action, especially for a 70s American movie. There aren't really "fights", mostly hill billies getting whomped by a young and clean cut Chuck Norris. The only aspect of the movie I didn't like was some country music with awful vocals related to trucking which I believe were made for the movie. (Someone was credited for "vocals" in the end credits..) The instrumental country music was kinda cool/fitting and made the movie fun, but when vocals were involved I wasn't a fan. 

Went in this one with extremely low expectations and wasn't pleasantly surprised. A decent Chuck Norris movie where he shoes some cool kicks, even if he's pretty much uncontested in the fights.

I think i seen 1 or 2 of these Chuck Norris movies when back in the early 80's. This was probably one of them, the other could of been Octagon. I remember enjoying them but haven't seen them since. I probably should see them again.

[paimeifist]

3 minutes ago, Duel to the Death said:

I think i seen 1 or 2 of these Chuck Norris movies when back in the early 80's. This was probably one of them, the other could of been Octagon. I remember enjoying them but haven't seen them since. I probably should see them again.

I need to see the Octagon, I’ve heard it’s one of his better martial arts focused films.

Ive been on a bit of a Chuckathon lately.

Ive recently watched A Force of One, Good Guys Wear Black, Lone Wolf McQuade, Code of Silence and now Breaker! Breaker!. I watched Delta Force a while back.

 

To be honest I haven’t seen a bad Chuck Norris film yet. I’m kind of surprised, for some reason I was expecting his movies to be bad.

 

Many of them are action movies with little to no spinning back kicks, but they’re all decent at worst from what I’ve seen.

[Duel to the Death]

Tiger over Wall Let me tell you, that end fight with Phillip Ko and Hwang Jang-Lee is something. Really damn good. Some of the other fights are good too. But that end fight is epic. 

But that plot has to be the most ridiculous plot i have ever seen in my life. All this murdering and torturing people all because of a lost boxer dog owned by the most annoying lady of all time. Some of the side characters acting is downright dreadful.

I can't believe i read on IMDB this is based on true events. This is what i think of that. (Can't believe i went through the trouble of making this Gif)

 

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

It IS based on a true story, and yes, that final showdown is pretty epic.