Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted March 7, 2015 Administrator Share Posted March 7, 2015 I couldn't find a dedicated thread for this film when I did a search, so here you go... This is the story of a gambler named Fatty (played by Sammo) and his best friend (Meng Hoi), his disapproving father (also played by Sammo), and the ghost of his Grandfather (Sammo once again! ) that get into trouble while trying to strike it rich and solve a murder. This one features Sammo playing multiple roles (plus he produced it and choreographed the action), gambling (of course), good comedy, some heart-string pulling, and thrilling fights. This was the first film that Bobby Samuels (who became a protégé of Sammo) did in Hong Kong, and you'd never have guessed that when you see him delivering the goods during the intricate choreography. Some early '90s Sammo Hung classics are getting The Love from fans with improved versions... When I first bought and watched the Soul Blade DVD I felt like they had slapped me in the face and ran away with my money. I'm okay with watching bad picture quality- years of growing up on multi-generation, degraded VHS tapes will do that- but I cannot stand when the audio is messed up. Especially the out-of-sync sound FX during fight scenes- it ruins them! Plus, it had horrendous subs, filled with more-than-the-usual-amount of mistakes, and also saddled with the 1-second-and-gone subtitle lines throughout. So the Soul Blade DVD is a real stinker, and I cannot say how happy I am that people have gone to the trouble to create a "custom version" fixing all that. The subs and audio are all as they should be now. I'm not mentioning names in case they want to stay anonymous. If not, please post here and take a bow. But I have to say THANK YOU!!! Great work. It's anamorphic widescreen and includes the English dub, and both Cantonese and Mandarin audio. As with the other Sammo film GHOST PUNTING's "custom version" (buy the same dude) this is also up on ADC and available through fan trades. For more on GHOST PUNTING check this thread: http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20949&highlight=ghost+punting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted March 8, 2015 Member Share Posted March 8, 2015 This is a great under-rated Sammo potboiler and that end fight is awesome with Sammo doing some amazing Wing Chun movements...will get the custom dvd definitely. Cheers for the info Bob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted March 8, 2015 Author Administrator Share Posted March 8, 2015 This is a great under-rated Sammo potboiler and that end fight is awesome with Sammo doing some amazing Wing Chun movements...will get the custom dvd definitely. Cheers for the info Bob. Happy to spread the word. In fact, ButcherWing said it was okay to say he was the one that created this custom. Watching that great fight with the sound effects so off was a miserable experience, so this custom means a lot to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Neil Koch Posted March 8, 2015 Member Share Posted March 8, 2015 I agree that this is a fun movie. I have a review up here: http://hkfilm.net/movrevs2/gambghost.htm I saw it via a DVD from Wing Artist (probably a bootleg) - picture quality was pretty bad but I don't recall any sound issues. The movie is on Hulu, but I'm not sure what source they are using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Asmo Posted March 9, 2015 Moderator Share Posted March 9, 2015 I couldn't find a dedicated thread for this film when I did a search, so here you go... This is the story of a gambler named Fatty (played by Sammo) and his best friend (Meng Hoi), his disapproving father (also played by Sammo), and the ghost of his Grandfather (Sammo once again! ) that get into trouble while trying to strike it rich and solve a murder. This one features Sammo playing multiple roles (plus he produced it and choreographed the action), gambling (of course), good comedy, some heart-string pulling, and thrilling fights. This was the first film that Bobby Samuels (who became a protégé of Sammo) did in Hong Kong, and you'd never have guessed that when you see him delivering the goods during the intricate choreography. Some early '90s Sammo Hung classics are getting The Love from fans with improved versions... When I first bought and watched the Soul Blade DVD I felt like they had slapped me in the face and ran away with my money. I'm okay with watching bad picture quality- years of growing up on multi-generation, degraded VHS tapes will do that- but I cannot stand when the audio is messed up. Especially the out-of-sync sound FX during fight scenes- it ruins them! Plus, it had horrendous subs, filled with more-than-the-usual-amount of mistakes, and also saddled with the 1-second-and-gone subtitle lines throughout. So the Soul Blade DVD is a real stinker, and I cannot say how happy I am that people have gone to the trouble to create a "custom version" fixing all that. The subs and audio are all as they should be now. I'm not mentioning names in case they want to stay anonymous. If not, please post here and take a bow. But I have to say THANK YOU!!! Great work. It's anamorphic widescreen and includes the English dub, and both Cantonese and Mandarin audio. As with the other Sammo film GHOST PUNTING's "custom version" (buy the same dude) this is also up on ADC and available through fan trades. For more on GHOST PUNTING check this thread: http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20949&highlight=ghost+punting There's been a bit of an unintentional flood of Sammo customs of late. It's a great shame that a lot of his early 90's output remains unavailable, and a lot of what is currently available either lacks subs or the subs aren't so great to begin with. Not to mention the films not even legally available on DVD. It'd be great if a lot of these more obscure ones would have been picked up for distribution (at least the titles not owned by Warner) but until then, the fans are the ones putting in the hard work to present these titles in a way they should be. Gambling Ghost is a fun film, and I'm looking forward to seeing it done properly. I agree that this is a fun movie. I have a review up here: http://hkfilm.net/movrevs2/gambghost.htm I saw it via a DVD from Wing Artist (probably a bootleg) - picture quality was pretty bad but I don't recall any sound issues. The movie is on Hulu, but I'm not sure what source they are using. Hey Neil, I have heard that the Wing Artist release is most likely a bootleg version of the Soulblade DVD. I have that version myself (didn't know it was a boot at the time) and don't remember any sound issues either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted March 9, 2015 Member Share Posted March 9, 2015 I have it on one of the "Martial Arts Essentials" collections video Asia put out.. It's a pretty decent print. I agree with what everyone else said about it, fun movie. Sammo does a lot of subtle things In his acting that I found hilarious. One that sticks with me is when his character first kicks a bunch of ass and realizes he can fight all of a sudden, he does a cocky little pose...you have to see it to know what I mean, but yeah...Sammo has great comedic timing! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted March 9, 2015 Author Administrator Share Posted March 9, 2015 There's been a bit of an unintentional flood of Sammo customs of late. It's a great shame that a lot of his early 90's output remains unavailable, and a lot of what is currently available either lacks subs or the subs aren't so great to begin with. Not to mention the films not even legally available on DVD. It'd be great if a lot of these more obscure ones would have been picked up for distribution (at least the titles not owned by Warner) but until then, the fans are the ones putting in the hard work to present these titles in a way they should be. You and me both brother! Sammo and a lot of his films don't get the respect they deserve. Another one that deserves a DVD/Blu-ray release is SLICKERS VS KILLERS. I did a search here and it doesn't have a dedicated thread. Know why? Because not enough fans get to see it. It's very funny (not begrudgingly funny... actually funny), has an impressive cast (Jackie Cheung, Lam Ching-Ying, Joyce Godenzi, Carol Cheng, Collin Ngai Sing, Yu Li, Richard Ng) and blistering hot fight scenes. Yet it has only been released on VHS, VCD, and laser disc. Fortunately I've got the laser disc, and I'm happy I do. But come on... it deserves a decent digital release. I have it on one of the "Martial Arts Essentials" collections video Asia put out.. It's a pretty decent print. I agree with what everyone else said about it, fun movie. Sammo does a lot of subtle things In his acting that I found hilarious. One that sticks with me is when his character first kicks a bunch of ass and realizes he can fight all of a sudden, he does a cocky little pose...you have to see it to know what I mean, but yeah...Sammo has great comedic timing! Lol I remember this exactly. His comic timing and facial expressions are pure gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Asmo Posted March 13, 2015 Moderator Share Posted March 13, 2015 You and me both brother! Sammo and a lot of his films don't get the respect they deserve. Another one that deserves a DVD/Blu-ray release is SLICKERS VS KILLERS. I did a search here and it doesn't have a dedicated thread. Know why? Because not enough fans get to see it. It's very funny (not begrudgingly funny... actually funny), has an impressive cast (Jackie Cheung, Lam Ching-Ying, Joyce Godenzi, Carol Cheng, Collin Ngai Sing, Yu Li, Richard Ng) and blistering hot fight scenes. Yet it has only been released on VHS, VCD, and laser disc. Fortunately I've got the laser disc, and I'm happy I do. But come on... it deserves a decent digital release. I agree with that. It's underrated (most probably because, again, because so few have seen it), and it's something that I wasn't able to fully enjoy until I saw a laserdisc transfer of it. It deserves a DVD release for sure, but Warner are happy to let it collect dust, it seems seems. At least now, among the kung fu film community it shouldn't be as obscure as it is given that a few laserdisc transfers are known to exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted March 13, 2015 Member Share Posted March 13, 2015 Another one that deserves a DVD/Blu-ray release is SLICKERS VS KILLERS. I did a search here and it doesn't have a dedicated thread. Know why? Because not enough fans get to see it. It's very funny (not begrudgingly funny... actually funny), has an impressive cast (Jackie Cheung, Lam Ching-Ying, Joyce Godenzi, Carol Cheng, Collin Ngai Sing, Yu Li, Richard Ng) and blistering hot fight scenes. Yet it has only been released on VHS, VCD, and laser disc. Fortunately I've got the laser disc, and I'm happy I do. But come on... it deserves a decent digital release. Ridley Tsui is also in that cast. He plays one of the psycho killers. (Can't remember if he was Owl or Bat.) He was also the serial killer in Pantyhose Hero. I've been meaning to find more of his films. He's a fantastic screen fighter and stuntman. I have my vhs of this. I'd kill for a dvd copy. I don't understand why there isn't even a Chinese release of this? I've never understood how some films get multiple releases or titles, and others languish in obscurity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Asmo Posted March 14, 2015 Moderator Share Posted March 14, 2015 Ridley Tsui is also in that cast. He plays one of the psycho killers. (Can't remember if he was Owl or Bat.) He was also the serial killer in Pantyhose Hero. I've been meaning to find more of his films. He's a fantastic screen fighter and stuntman. I have my vhs of this. I'd kill for a dvd copy. I don't understand why there isn't even a Chinese release of this? I've never understood how some films get multiple releases or titles, and others languish in obscurity. I'm not sure if Ridley was in the cast. Jacky Cheung was Bat, and Lam Ching-Ying was Owl. It definitely needs a dvd release, but as for no Chinese release, like in other territories, it's gotta be down to Warner not caring or thinking it's a viable release. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted March 14, 2015 Moderator Share Posted March 14, 2015 Ridley Tsui is also in that cast. He plays one of the psycho killers. (Can't remember if he was Owl or Bat.) He was also the serial killer in Pantyhose Hero. I've been meaning to find more of his films. He's a fantastic screen fighter and stuntman. You should check out 'Tiger Cage 3'. Fantastic fights throughout, and a killer finale on the rooftop pitting Ricky Cheung vs Ridley Tsui as the villain. The good news is it's readily available on DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShaOW!linDude Posted March 14, 2015 Member Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm not sure if Ridley was in the cast. Jacky Cheung was Bat, and Lam Ching-Ying was Owl. You're right, Asmo. I was sure he was one of them. Maybe I mistook Jacky Cheung for him. Dadgummit, it's been so long since I've seen this. You should check out 'Tiger Cage 3'. Fantastic fights throughout, and a killer finale on the rooftop pitting Ricky Cheung vs Ridley Tsui as the villain. The good news is it's readily available on DVD. It's on the list then! Good looking out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Neil Koch Posted March 14, 2015 Member Share Posted March 14, 2015 Here is a screencap from the Hulu version: The sound is in sync but is English only. I think this may be the same print from the Video Asia version. The box art Hulu uses has "Wu Tang Collection" on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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