What are Chiba's best films? recomendations?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yeah Japanese TV series. I haven't bought it yet myself because I think it's like 60 bucks.

[oldeschool17]

Yeah Japanese TV series. I haven't bought it yet myself because I think it's like 60 bucks.

It's well worth it man. Ive watched a few eps here and there in between my other asian cinema obessions. Btw, i think i payed 30 or 40 bux for it when it was on sale

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Yeah I don't remember what the exact price was. I'm definitely gonna get it one day. Hopefully soon.

[venoms5]

YAGYU CLAN CONSPIRACY tv series is possibly the best thing Chiba ever did, IMO. For movies, I liked him in HUNTER IN THE DARK, THE STREET FIGHTER (obviously), TIMESLIP, LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI and he was a riot in KARATE FOR LIFE and EXECUTIONER 2 to name a few.

[sonnychibaidol]

My recommendation would definitely be all the Street Fighter movie series plus all the movies relating to Master Oyama.

I do need some help finding them. It is very hard in Australia to get these films in their original language format with good screen quality. Could someone please help? If possible, help me find them in their English subtitled format.

[KUNG FU BOB]

I do need some help finding them. It is very hard in Australia to get these films in their original language format with good screen quality. Could someone please help? If possible, help me find them in their English subtitled format.

PM me.

[Asmo]

My recommendation would definitely be all the Street Fighter movie series plus all the movies relating to Master Oyama.

I do need some help finding them. It is very hard in Australia to get these films in their original language format with good screen quality. Could someone please help? If possible, help me find them in their English subtitled format.

Email hkdvdmovies@hotmail.com. This guy sells legit dvd's on ebay, and I'm sure he had the (region 2) Street Fighter boxset up there at one time. If he doesn't have any in stock, I'm sure he can get it. He's based in Perth.

[Stuntman Jules]

The Street Fighter is Sonny at his prime. Hardly as graceful or ballet in his martial arts than Bruce Lee, but damn is that man the definition of brute force. The Executioner by sex, blood and madness guru Teruo Ishii is a great, pure "Sonny kicks butt" film as well. Both films are punctuated by more in-house Toei sleaze than you can imagine.

However, my favorite work of Chiba, which shows off his equally fine acting chops, are in underrated maverick Kinji Fukasaku's films. He's in at least half of Fukasaku's movies and was one of Kinji's favorite people to work with along with Bunta Sugawara, Tetsuro Tamba and Hiroko Matsukata. His best performance is as the hysterical sociopath gangster Katsutoshi Otomo in the second Battles Without Honor and Humanity film. He absolutely oozes badass and stoic as Yagyu Jubei in The Yagyu Clan Conspiracy and then particularly in its supernaturally themed follow-up Samurai Reincarnation (I love the bit on the beach with Chiba and actor Ken Ogata as Musashi Miyamoto).

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

YAGYU CLAN CONSPIRACY tv series is possibly the best thing Chiba ever did, IMO. For movies, I liked him in HUNTER IN THE DARK, THE STREET FIGHTER (obviously), TIMESLIP, LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI and he was a riot in KARATE FOR LIFE and EXECUTIONER 2 to name a few.

Nothing towards you venoms5, but seeing someone mention TIMESLIP, god that movie was stupid. Brian Cleary showed this one to me a few months ago.

[kungpowmaster]

I love Sonny Chiba films and have collected a lot. The Street Fighter is awesome, as are the sequels. My overall fave Chiba is Killing Machine, and I see I am not alone. This just had a strong story, that even non martial arts fans could enjoy. I really enjoyed The Bodyguard as well, and The Executioner. I must admit some I haven't seen, the Matsaya Trilogy, excuse me if I spelled that wrong, I have, but shamefully have not watched yet.

[KUNG FU BOB]

I must admit some I haven't seen, the Matsaya Trilogy, excuse me if I spelled that wrong, I have, but shamefully have not watched yet.

Oh? You're in for a treat! These are CRAZY!

[kungpowmaster]

I think I'll watch the 1st one of them tonight.

[KUNG FU BOB]

The craziest part of these films is that Mas Oyama is a real karate master. Then they wrote these pulp novels about his "adventures" - which were cool enough when told factually- but they decided to jazz them up anyway. These in turn, were then made into even more exaggerated manga, and then made into these OTT films. Oyama-san was the "technical advisor" for the films, so you would have thought that maybe he'd want to be shown only in a heroic, and morally sound light, right? Not so much!

[Guest WuxiaFan]

My recommendation would definitely be all the Street Fighter movie series plus all the movies relating to Master Oyama.

I do need some help finding them. It is very hard in Australia to get these films in their original language format with good screen quality. Could someone please help? If possible, help me find them in their English subtitled format.

The STREET FIGHTER Box set is also available on amazon.co.uk:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Fighter-Return-Fighters-Revenge/dp/B0007CTKY8/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1240724067&sr=1-7

I just got mine, but haven't watched them yet

[kungpowmaster]

Well last night I watched Karate Bull Fighter, and it was indeed AWESOME! I think I greatly enjoyed this more than The Street Fighter films, and they are great themselves. I did not know martial arts was banned under American occupation of Japan after the war. I'll watch the others soon.

[KUNG FU BOB]

Well last night I watched Karate Bull Fighter, and it was indeed AWESOME! I think I greatly enjoyed this more than The Street Fighter films, and they are great themselves. I did not know martial arts was banned under American occupation of Japan after the war. I'll watch the others soon.

I liked all 3 a great deal, but the opening credits sequence of the 3rd film is outstanding!

War created another strange after-effect in Japan- a lot of original film negatives were melted down to extract the silver needed! So due to this practice, many pre-war Japanese films were lost forever. :S

[Stuntman Jules]

Japan lost at least 90% of its cinema history pre-1945, I hear, I didn't know that it was partially because the Japanese army melted the negatives down, though. I heard it was mostly from the Allied fire bomb raids (which, consolidated, I believe killed a lot more than Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

[The Dragon]

One thing for certain... One can gain a true education reading a lot of information posted here on this forum. From all over the world, many have contributed and make combing these threads worthwhile.

Thanks.

[KUNG FU BOB]

One thing for certain... One can gain a true education reading a lot of information posted here on this forum. From all over the world, many have contributed and make combing these threads worthwhile.

Thanks.

Dragon, did you know that the platypus is venomous, and that there's no anti-venom? They say it's one of the most painful venoms to be injected with!

A lot of people that picked one up to laugh about who was more drunk- the duck or the beaver- paid a handsome price. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!

Also, dogs don't have shoulders.

[Tosh]

I had to click on that pic to make sure that was the tail hanging between the legs:p

Also, dogs don't have shoulders.

XDThis reminds me of a George Carlin Joke -

Ever notice a mouse has no neck, put a necklace on a mouse and it becomes a f'n belt, how would he know he's a f'n mouse.

Said while dancing around like the mouse, that joke had me rolling as a kid, I think it was on Carlin on Campus

[KUNG FU BOB]

I had to click on that pic to make sure that was the tail hanging between the legs:p

Yeah, that's his tail. He keeps his junk tucked away when he's in "action mode". XD

I cracked up at the Carlin bit. Love that guy!

Oh yeah... Chiba!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tosh]

Oh yeah... Chiba!!!!!!!!!!!!

I watched Legend of the 8 Samurai last night, what a hightly entertaining flick, can't believe I never seen this one before, had it in brentwood 10 pack I picked up for the street fighter movie. Chiba looked badass in the white ninja suit strait out of Samurai Spy.

And a giant f'n centipede! Interesting enough one of the more famous Samurai of legend killed a giant Centipede with an arrow after it stole a princess, damn I have a good painting of this in my other computer.

I could of done without the Xanadu opening thoughXD

[daisho2004]

"Legend of the 8 Samurai": This is one Chiba movie I didn't get a chance to see!

[KUNG FU BOB]

I've got mixed feelings about this one. The story is cool- kind of like a warped, re-take on SEVEN SAMURAI. Due to supernatural evil, our young hero and heroine must gather together a team of famous samurai... from the depths of Hell!

There's some great action courtesy of Chiba-san's JAC team, but as Tosh pointed out, the music, especially the opening is the worst kind of 80's drek! It wishes it was Xanadu-worthy! But the score isn't enough to ruin the fun. It's good, but not classic. Still, you should check it out Daisho.

[Tosh]

Hey Bob did you notice the painting towards the end? It was like Klimt's "The Kiss" but more Asian and with a Snake, to sweet!

This was a little more of a Sanada movie I think, The weapon work in this seriously lacks compared to it's HK counterpart, I think Chiba's film's work better with hand combat. Sanada at the end does a couple flips, shame they didn't go with his abilities we know he had back then, missed opportunity if you ask me, even in a movie so outrages and corny(in a good way) you can tell he was a great actor. Like to see a widescreen subbed version of this.