Member Tex Killer Posted March 23, 2014 Member Share Posted March 23, 2014 Next Shaw I watch will be bamboo house of dolls or bikini business,,,Kinda curious, very rare cases I have watched Shaw outside of kungfu/swordplay area, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Arts Posted March 24, 2014 Member Share Posted March 24, 2014 Loved both 36th Chamber and Invincible Shaolin, hard one for me to pick between the two. Anyways, as i usually post after i've seen 2-3 Shaws, this week both have been great, as per usual, it has been The Savage Five and The Daredevils this past week. <Poss Minor Spoilers Below> The Savage Five was great, that old western feeling Kung Fu Thriller, Great characters, Good Drama, a shout out to Wang Ping in her role, her reply when the bandits say there are 12 of them, Powerful and Sickening, The bad guys were proper A-holes, i thought Ti Lung stood out in the fights, Great film. The Daredevils, was alot of fun, i didnt really know what to expect of it, i thought the Acrobatic fights at the end of Crippled Avengers hurt the film abit, but in this it works better, and still mixed with alot of kung fu fighting, when it turned all into a big rouse, it really worked for me, loved the "playing the enemy" feel to it, the pistols, the big cheques, the cushion, the foot stool, the wine... etc lol. Not the best Venoms Film, but solid. And a brief note, both these films had guns in them, usually i prefer my kung fu films without them, but worked really well in these. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted March 24, 2014 Member Share Posted March 24, 2014 [quote=Drunken Arts;230726 And a brief note, both these films had guns in them, usually i prefer my kung fu films without them, but worked really well in these. Peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted March 25, 2014 Member Share Posted March 25, 2014 Love Parade (1963: Ching Doe: Hong Kong) I might do a proper review/essay of this at some point, but I want to put it aside for a few reasons: to watch more of Linda Lin Dai as well as the director and to watch (or rewatch) the well-known Doris Day and Rock Hudson films which I believe several scenes and possibly plot have some similarities. This has been written about as a musical, but I think that is erroneous. This is first and foremost a romantic comedy. Now there are three segments that some have considered musical interludes, but two of them are actually a fashion presentation to a large audience with music in the background but only once did a couple actually sing.* Those familiar with Busby Berkeley musicals will recognize a few similarities like the insanely large sets that no real audience could have seen and the transitions from a fake decorated scene to a live action one. The sets are exquisite and the use of color is quite good. Some of the dolly shots are bumpier than they should be. The plot itself is a rather pedestrian romantic comedy where almost every review I have read notes of the similarities between the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films. There is also a too quick reconciliation at the end that just does not work. Lin Dai’s character is rather annoying, though her acting is good, and if they have issues that early in the marriage just imagine what might happen later. Even though he had acted in a decent amount of films by this point, King Hu had not directed yet. It is interesting to see him act in a basic “third-wheel” role – though his character is strangely overfriendly for losing someone he had proposed to. * The music appears to be diegetic (a film term meaning that it takes place within the universe of the movie and in this case is heard by the audience in the movie while watching the fashion show.) Sources: Unfortunately there is not much book material that I found on the film with a few brief mentions in The Shaw Screen: A Preliminary Study and China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema. Linda Lin Dai Week: Love Parade (1963): (Dec. 9, 2010) Brns.com Review: concentrates more on Peter Chen Ho. Images look too bleached on the site compared to what you see in the film and on the above link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted March 30, 2014 Member Share Posted March 30, 2014 One of titles I had on vhs tape, it was really great to see this with dub after so many years. While I prefer original language in ~96% of cases this is one of exceptions. Kwok Choy is really great as drunken hai to who uses anything to win. Rest of cast do their job well too. Star of the movie is Lo Meng tho... As for storyline while escorting gold has been used several times in shaws already there is some unexpected things... Nothing to complain in action either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Wheat Thin Man Posted March 31, 2014 Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 I watched Soul of the Sword on Saturday night and loved it. Ti Lung is in top form and the film has some great fight choreography and a pretty entertaining story. It drags a bit in a couple places, but overall it was one of the better Shaw films I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Eastern Evil Posted March 31, 2014 Member Share Posted March 31, 2014 I watched Soul of the Sword on Saturday night and loved it. Ti Lung is in top form and the film has some great fight choreography and a pretty entertaining story. It drags a bit in a couple places, but overall it was one of the better Shaw films I've seen. The new dub is horrible, along with Come Drink With Me & The Bastard Swordsman movies. It is good movie though without the dub - and I am a dub lover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 1, 2014 Member Share Posted April 1, 2014 Great movie from Sun Chung. Bodycount is quite high, welldone fights. Jiuxuan Witch is tough slut and fights well too.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted April 2, 2014 Member Share Posted April 2, 2014 2 classics tonight....Fake Ghost Catchers, and Dirty Ho (both firsts (outside crappy YT versions) for the gf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 3, 2014 Member Share Posted April 3, 2014 Fake Ghost Catchers I have not watched that yet but someone said there is something like 10 mins of fighting and rest is comedy. I hope it`s not true:crossedlips: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member wongfeihung62 Posted April 3, 2014 Member Share Posted April 3, 2014 I have not watched that yet but someone said there is something like 10 mins of fighting and rest is comedy. I hope it`s not true:crossedlips: I watched this a while ago and was not impressed at all. Too much unfunny comedy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 3, 2014 Member Share Posted April 3, 2014 I watched this a while ago and was not impressed at all. Too much unfunny comedy. Ouch!I take your word considering my pal said similar thing it means I will not watch it for several years, if ever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted April 4, 2014 Member Share Posted April 4, 2014 Do you like the Spiritual Boxer films? That'll give you the answer you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 4, 2014 Member Share Posted April 4, 2014 Do you like the Spiritual Boxer films? That'll give you the answer you need.opening is great in part 1 but rest of film meh...i don't like wong yu, tho not always he is dire. kid with a tattoo is good movie.i haven't screened SB part 2 yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 4, 2014 Member Share Posted April 4, 2014 This is maybe my 2nd time in english dub, over 10 times in total. While martial arts not best(tho not bad considering age of movie) I never, ever stop admiring filmmaking and extremism chang cheh, jimmy wang yu and lo lieh made. Massacres a lot, lot unfair things happen and in the end there is surprise action... When honestly think I feel this is best shaw movie ever made...and would make it best flick ever then... Nice locations, good music, excellent story, nihilistic atmosphere...It was jackpot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cloud Hands Posted April 12, 2014 Member Share Posted April 12, 2014 Tex, Golden Swallow is probably my favourite 1960s Shaw film.. after The Assassin. Must watch both films again soon, but I've got about 10-15 films or so still unseen to get through first. I recent saw The Shadow Boxer. While it had good aspects to it, overall it didn't really do it for me. The whole forbearance thing and watching the main character take a beating for half the film became slightly annoying (taking a beating is also nothing to do with Tai Chi Chuan, as I understand it). Other than that, recently I've re-watched Spirit of the Sword, a very enjoyable Chu Yuan film, and The Duel, still a classic and one of my favourite Shaws of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted April 12, 2014 Member Share Posted April 12, 2014 I recent saw The Shadow Boxer. While it had good aspects to it, overall it didn't really do it for me. The whole forbearance thing and watching the main character take a beating for half the film became slightly annoying (taking a beating is also nothing to do with Tai Chi Chuan, as I understand it). Yes, it does. I prolly said it in other post main "hero" lets people die around him without taking any action. I did read from this forum someone said main character died because internal injuries he got when filming. I do not think that is case, when guy jumps at his stomach it`s in slow motion so very likely wires are used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Treacherous Mastermind Posted April 25, 2014 Member Share Posted April 25, 2014 Tex, Golden Swallow is probably my favourite 1960s Shaw film.. after The Assassin. Must watch both films again soon, but I've got about 10-15 films or so still unseen to get through first. I recent saw The Shadow Boxer. While it had good aspects to it, overall it didn't really do it for me. The whole forbearance thing and watching the main character take a beating for half the film became slightly annoying (taking a beating is also nothing to do with Tai Chi Chuan, as I understand it). Other than that, recently I've re-watched Spirit of the Sword, a very enjoyable Chu Yuan film, and The Duel, still a classic and one of my favourite Shaws of all time. Shadow Boxer was a disappointment for me. I really expected the movie to be good, just because it was Wo Fu's first and last movie as the main character, the movie was actually snore fest and it lacked good character development. What really bugged me were those filming locations and movie sets, they just looked really weird for a shaws, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG Posted May 1, 2014 Member Share Posted May 1, 2014 The Imperial Swordsman as good as it gets. What a great ending. Those 'giants'. GD Y-Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted May 6, 2014 Member Share Posted May 6, 2014 Love Parade (1963: Ching Doe: Hong Kong) ... The plot itself is a rather pedestrian romantic comedy where almost every review I have read notes of the similarities between the Doris Day/Rock Hudson films. There is also a too quick reconciliation at the end that just does not work. Lin Dai’s character is rather annoying, though her acting is good, and if they have issues that early in the marriage just imagine what might happen later. ... I keep finding more Hollywood connections with non-MA Shaw films ... After watching Pillow Talk over the weekend I can further comment on some of the similarities (though I do want to watch a few more of the Day/Hudson pairings): the obstetrician scene from Love Parade is taken from Pillow Talk, though Pillow Talk uses it as a running gag. The use of the horrible outfit design is analogous to the horrible apartment design in Pillow Talk. The King Hu third wheel character has some similarities to the Tony Randall character. So Pillow Talk is definitely an influence, though this film you might not consider a remake of because of the use of mistaken identity in PT and the whole marriage plot in LP which give both films a completely spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted May 11, 2014 Member Share Posted May 11, 2014 I watched "Legend of the Fox" and "Heroes Two" yesterday. Both for the first time. I must say, I simply LOVED "Legend of the Fox." It sagged in the middle, once the King of Poison is introduced but everything else is fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed "Heroes Two" as well. That finale is amazing. I also watched "The New Shaolin Boxers" and, sadly, wasn't all that impressed. It was fine; it just wasn't great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted May 23, 2014 Member Share Posted May 23, 2014 I watched "Legend of the Fox" and "Heroes Two" yesterday. Both for the first time. I must say, I simply LOVED "Legend of the Fox." Legend of the fox is incredible. I like heroes two but not much. I would not say it´s overrated, just it´s not for me. I agree about finale, that left good overall impression. Last and best Shaw I have watched recently is Iron Buddha. Extremely interesting but again, as not big names featured it does not get talked a lot...Actually quite a lot similar "unknown" films were made at Shaws and I like almost every one of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted June 18, 2014 Member Share Posted June 18, 2014 After seeing it, I thought 36th Chamber Of Shaolin was a top-notch masterpiece nothing could top. But that was until today and me seeing... Marco Polo (1975). I went into this one with high expectations. I had seen various screenshots from this one in other people's pictures albums and I found it looked really good. It also seems to be hard to find on DVDs (all I could find was a German set, until someone helped me out and may he be thanked for that). After seeing it, all I have to say is: the settings are very gorgeous (love the indoors), the choreography is very enjoyable and impressive to watch (very creative styles and some stuff may seem over-the-top, but the execution makes it look believable rather than ridiculous), it offers a nice mix of comedic and sad moments... In terms of cinematography, I found nothing to say (I love the soundtrack of this film, very beautiful material that always fits the atmosphere). Another great point in this film is the character development: even though they first appear as villains, you can't help but have sympathy for the 4 "sworn brothers" and their protector - which gives an odd feeling seeing the Mongols and Marco Polo originally appeared as the good guys (BTW, it was weird seeing Gordon Liu with hair and as a "baddie" - but he shows off some great sword skills and is never boring to see). Concerning Marco Polo himself, I find it sad that he turns out to be one of the least interesting characters from the picture. Granted he is the title character and is central to the plot (especially as we see the story more or less through his eyes), but still I didn't feel that much invested in Richard Harrison's performance - but hey, how can a sober portrayal of an historical character be entertaining when you've seen the same guy wearing a camo Ninja outfit and use a Garfield phone ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 I still haven't seen Marco Polo, but you might want to check out Boxer Rebellion if you haven't, which was filmed one after another. If I'm not mistaken Johnny Wang, Gordon Liu and Leung Kar-Yan also play Mongol mercenaries in 7 Man Army... They may very well be the same exact characters caught in a time-warp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted June 19, 2014 Member Share Posted June 19, 2014 I still haven't seen Marco Polo, but you might want to check out Boxer Rebellion if you haven't, which was filmed one after another. If I'm not mistaken Johnny Wang, Gordon Liu and Leung Kar-Yen also play Mongol mercenaries in 7 Man Army... They may very well be the same exact characters caught in a time-warp. I highly recommend watching Marco Polo, it's a really great movie (hope I didn't spoil too much in my previous post). Heard of the two titles you mentionned and these are two films I'm after. Watched the Boxer Rebellion trailer and it looks like a really good film - I can see similarities with Marco Polo in the cast, some of the characters' abilities and maybe in the story (looks like Chinese rebels are fighting another oppressor), though it's obviously set in a more modern era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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