Member paimeifist Posted December 14, 2014 Member Share Posted December 14, 2014 Demon of the Lute I loved this movie. Cartoony fantasy movie aimed towards children. Very simple adventurous plot, cartoon-like characters and objects, GREAT sets, and probably the best effects I have seen in a Shaw movie. Chin Siu Ho does a good job as the lead, but the rest of the cast give more memorable performances. Kara Hui is gorgeous and awesome as the Rainbow Sword, and Pai Piao is good as always as the titular villain. Phillip Kwok, Lee Hoi San, and Yuen Tak are great in minor roles. Lee Hoi San stands out as the GIANT axe weilding "Red Haired Devil"! The little kid(Kei Kong-Hung)is super cool and funny. There is some kids humor thrown in that may put some off, but I couldn't help but laugh at it! The fighting is mostly wire-assisted and effect driven, but it was very well done and exciting. The effects here very seldomly came off as corny to me. The few times there were glimpses of straight martial arts, it was great. Kara Hui and Philip Kwok in particular had a few short but great unassisted scenes. With that said, if you're looking for a classic kung fu film, this won't be for you. I had read reviews on this before that made it sound like it was just "weird" that had me worried.. I suppose it is weird, but in a fun, storybook fantasy-like way. It successfully creates it's own world and characters and made me wish it was a series! Overall, this is a great movie if you just want to escape and have some fun! It is a very unique film, and may be one of my favorite Shaw Brothers films now. At the very least, is say it is worth a watch if you're a Shaw fan because of it's uniqueness... But I loved it anyway! I see it is one of the two films directed and scripted by Tang Tak-Cheung, the other being Long Road to Gallantry. Is that one worth seeking out? I am guessing there is no way it is too similar to this. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted December 14, 2014 Member Share Posted December 14, 2014 long road to gallantry is a very good wu xia pian, if I'm not mistaken (since I watched it a long while ago) and it seems to me that it's a remake of another Shaws' movie, but I don't remember which one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted December 14, 2014 Member Share Posted December 14, 2014 long road to gallantry is a very good wu xia pian, if I'm not mistaken (since I watched it a long while ago) and it seems to me that it's a remake of another Shaws' movie, but I don't remember which one... Thanks, I'll have to check it out than. What did you think of the Demon of the Lute? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted December 14, 2014 Member Share Posted December 14, 2014 It seems to me that I enjoyed it less than other ones...Maybe I should watch it once again... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Eastern Evil Posted December 15, 2014 Member Share Posted December 15, 2014 long road to gallantry is a very good wu xia pian, if I'm not mistaken (since I watched it a long while ago) and it seems to me that it's a remake of another Shaws' movie, but I don't remember which one... I think 'The Jade Bow' is the movie it is a remake of. Long Road to Gallantry was a very good movie, I agree, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yang Wu Liang Posted December 16, 2014 Member Share Posted December 16, 2014 Long Road To Gallantry is one of my favourite Shaws, the kung fu and wirework is wild, just my cup of tea. Ditto Demon of the Lute, I haven't seen it for a while, but it's got a cool animated intro and theme song as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted December 28, 2014 Member Share Posted December 28, 2014 I did not like "long road" that much. It has some good scenes but story not that interesting ultimately. Great ending with two treacherous masters saves a lot. the delinquent was great. Wang Chung is not on the top of the tree when comes to screen energy but he is not bad either. Story is simple crimetale and father/son relationship which leads into furious last 30 minutes almost nonstop action does not drag. Definitely among best modern day shaws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted December 28, 2014 Member Share Posted December 28, 2014 Rape of the Sword. 1967, directed by Yueh Feng. Kind of an odd title, as no swords (or women) are raped in the film, and in fact it's much more of an old-fashioned, non-exploitation 60's swordplay. Very classy and extremely well filmed, with a competent story and decent action. This is one of the films that I suspect directly influenced Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger. Yueh Feng is right there with my favorite Shaw directors--he also did: Lady General Hua Mulan Bells of Death Magnificent Swordsman The Golden Knight Taste of Cold Steel The Young Avenger I really like his work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Shaolivevil Posted December 28, 2014 Member Share Posted December 28, 2014 the delinquent was great. Wang Chung is not on the top of the tree when comes to screen energy but he is not bad either. Story is simple crimetale and father/son relationship which leads into furious last 30 minutes almost nonstop action does not drag. Definitely among best modern day shaws. One of my favorite modern contemporary tales as well. I still remember the first time I saw it back in 1987 on TV as STREET GANGS OF HONG KONG. Like you said, the last 30 minutes was nonstop action. I felt for Wang Chung, his character was sympathetic. He went through so much and was at the end of his rope.You could really feel his rage... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member NoKUNGFUforYU Posted December 28, 2014 Member Share Posted December 28, 2014 Delinquent is a good flick, but a downer. My14 year old caught the end and it really put him off. He doesn't like MA movies much, especially because they usually end tragically. He just felt the star avenged his dad, why should he die? Kids are used to Lord of the rings or Avengers, or Iron Man. What was interesting is the Dad practiced kung fu, and the son and his punk "friends" trained in karate. Dad was a cast off relic really, but I am sure the Karate thing was considered hip and shallow. The dojo was full of bullies and thugs, right? Anyway, I thought Wang Chung was unfairly over shadowed by Chiang and Lung, and should have had more lead roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted December 29, 2014 Member Share Posted December 29, 2014 Your kid propably missed the point Wang Chung felt he was partly responsible what happened to dad. He after all gave robbers code to safe even as nightwatcher was not supposed to be in the warehouse. I think ending was really good, happy end would have felt lameish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member flashkicks Posted January 1, 2015 Member Share Posted January 1, 2015 Watched some Shaw Bros, a double bill of : Heroes of the East Shaolin Mantis First time ive seen both, both were slow to start and then picked up 2nd half. Heroes of the East was my preferred of the two. Shaolin Mantis seemed to try to pack too many fights in toward the end and it kind of got too much, although the mantis style was awesome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 1, 2015 Member Share Posted January 1, 2015 The Five Venoms (1978) I wouldn't call this the best SB I've seen, but it's still a really good one. The story felt a bit strange to me and not just because of the premise (go find the other people I trained, but they all have secret identities, don't know each others and one can't talk of the Clan out in the open - good luck finding your mates, dude...), but also because I expected something like a comic book superhero story and I really didn't expect the Venoms to turn against each others or even be remotely evil to begin with - but hey, there's a freaking Snake fighter among them, and we all know how these guys turn out in KF movies... Sounded strange at first, but the way it's executed was just fine - the styles looked great on their own (the Centipede one is spectacular and the Toad one is quite badass - I'm a bit surprised by the look of the Snake one as this doesn't look like the usual Snake fist, but whatever, I liked the guy's wardrobe) and the action was damn awesome. As far as characters go, I enjoyed all 5 (or 6 if we count the sixth student) Venoms - hard to pick a favorite based on this film. Overall: a good film to start a new year that will likely be heavy on Asian cinema for me - especially with all the films I have to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KenHashibe Posted January 1, 2015 Member Share Posted January 1, 2015 Another trip to Chinatown=More SB VCD's. Wits of the Brats: This movie's very funny (if sometimes very disgusting) and the action looks fantastic. Wang Lung Wei's first fight in the movie is genuinely terrific. There's great action and great comedy, but terrible everything else. Terrible story, characters, etc. Still a decent watch if you're not looking for much. Crazy Shaolin Disciples: Honestly not as bad as I thought this would be. Very fun action movie with some entertaining characters. Sometimes dull, but mostly amusing. The jump cuts in some of the fight scenes are annoying, but still worth a watch. What Price Honesty: Man, this movie is fantastic. The story, the characters, everything is very well done. It's certainly not my favorite SB movie but it's very dark and very grim. The movie as a whole is tremendously bleak which may turn some people away, but it's always very engrossing and interesting. Probably the most serious movie I've seen in a long while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member flashkicks Posted January 1, 2015 Member Share Posted January 1, 2015 Todays Shaws: Ten Tigers of Kwang Tung - Typical Venoms movie. Still not sure if im into the Venoms, their films have a weird comedy/serious violence mix up, although the film certainly had something to enjoy. I disliked Five Deadly Venoms until I watched it a 2nd time so maybe it will be like that with this one. The One Armed Swordsman - Really, really good. One of the favourite Shaw Bros ive seen. Great opening and music but not enough made of it. Action was uneven some of it could have been better and the shtick with the "sword catcher" weapon wore a bit thin. But Wang Yu was awesome. Both films by Chang Cheh, could not have bee more different. Actually I prefer the earlier film so maybe that tells me something about Changs work as a whole ill have to see as I get through more Shaw / Chang Cheh movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted January 2, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 2, 2015 Watched some Shaw Bros, a double bill of : Heroes of the East Shaolin Mantis First time ive seen both, both were slow to start and then picked up 2nd half. Heroes of the East was my preferred of the two. Shaolin Mantis seemed to try to pack too many fights in toward the end and it kind of got too much, although the mantis style was awesome That's some double-bill for first time viewings! I get what you're saying about the slow starts, especially in SHAOLIN MANTIS, but personally I didn't mind because I was really into the stories for each of them. Good point about the action-heavy ending on SM too. They both get much better each time you watch them though. The Five Venoms (1978) I wouldn't call this the best SB I've seen, but it's still a really good one. The story felt a bit strange to me and not just because of the premise (go find the other people I trained, but they all have secret identities, don't know each others and one can't talk of the Clan out in the open - good luck finding your mates, dude...), but also because I expected something like a comic book superhero story and I really didn't expect the Venoms to turn against each others or even be remotely evil to begin with - but hey, there's a freaking Snake fighter among them, and we all know how these guys turn out in KF movies... Sounded strange at first, but the way it's executed was just fine - the styles looked great on their own (the Centipede one is spectacular and the Toad one is quite badass - I'm a bit surprised by the look of the Snake one as this doesn't look like the usual Snake fist, but whatever, I liked the guy's wardrobe) and the action was damn awesome. As far as characters go, I enjoyed all 5 (or 6 if we count the sixth student) Venoms - hard to pick a favorite based on this film. Overall: a good film to start a new year that will likely be heavy on Asian cinema for me - especially with all the films I have to see. I like your write-up on this. I do really dig the film, but if feels like it has so much more potential than what ended up on screen. And I've also always thought it odd that The Snake's kung fu was so different than most other snake style fighters in other films. I guess that was action choreographer Robert Tai trying to make it look a bit more original instead of following the old trends. The Centipede's style looks the coolest to me. Another trip to Chinatown=More SB VCD's. Wits of the Brats: This movie's very funny (if sometimes very disgusting) and the action looks fantastic. Wang Lung Wei's first fight in the movie is genuinely terrific. There's great action and great comedy, but terrible everything else. Terrible story, characters, etc. Still a decent watch if you're not looking for much. Crazy Shaolin Disciples: Honestly not as bad as I thought this would be. Very fun action movie with some entertaining characters. Sometimes dull, but mostly amusing. The jump cuts in some of the fight scenes are annoying, but still worth a watch. What Price Honesty: Man, this movie is fantastic. The story, the characters, everything is very well done. It's certainly not my favorite SB movie but it's very dark and very grim. The movie as a whole is tremendously bleak which may turn some people away, but it's always very engrossing and interesting. Probably the most serious movie I've seen in a long while. I can't remember much about the first two, but WHAT PRICE HONESTY is definitely a kick ass film! Todays Shaws: Ten Tigers of Kwang Tung - Typical Venoms movie. Still not sure if im into the Venoms, their films have a weird comedy/serious violence mix up, although the film certainly had something to enjoy. I disliked Five Deadly Venoms until I watched it a 2nd time so maybe it will be like that with this one. TEN TIGERS had such a great story to tell, but they chose to make it very convoluted and I think that hurts the film a lot. However every time I watch it, by the last strike I'm always smiling. An ending that's not to be forgotten (nor spoiled for anyone that hasn't seen it, thank you ) for sure! Same here- after second viewing I liked FIVE VENOMS much better. The One Armed Swordsman - Really, really good. One of the favourite Shaw Bros ive seen. Great opening and music but not enough made of it. Action was uneven some of it could have been better and the shtick with the "sword catcher" weapon wore a bit thin. But Wang Yu was awesome. Since you liked that so much, RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN is also quite good. And though it doesn't have quite the same classic feel to it, I think the action (which is plentiful) may be a bit better in this one. After Jimmy Wang Yu left the studio they decided to do do NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971, aka. Triple Irons; The One Armed Swordsman) with a different actor- David Chiang- as the star. This probably sounds like a recipe for disaster, but surprisingly, it's a fantastic movie! Why? Well, it's the perfect mix of Director Chang Cheh with stars David Chiang and Ti Lung, who collectively were referred to as "The Iron Triangle" because of their top-notch out-put. Both films by Chang Cheh, could not have bee more different. Actually I prefer the earlier film so maybe that tells me something about Changs work as a whole ill have to see as I get through more Shaw / Chang Cheh movies. It is amazing how different his output is from these different periods. Here are a few others I'd recommend to you from Chang Cheh's earlier stuff... THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972, aka. Killer From Shantung; Shantung Boxer; Ma Yung Cheng) THE DEADLY DUO (1971) DELIGHTFUL FOREST (1972, aka. Outlaw of the Forest; Happy Forest; 7 Blows of the Dragon 3) DUEL OF THE IRON FIST (1971, aka. Duel of the Iron Fists; The Duel; Iron Fist Village; Duel of the Shaolin Fists) THE GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968, aka. The Girl With The Thunderbolt Kick) THE TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE (1967) VENGEANCE (1979, aka. Vengeance!; Kung Fu Vengeance) If you guys are looking for "Venoms" movies with less clowning around, check these out... KILLER ARMY (1980, aka. Guerilla; Guerillas; Rebel Intruders) THE MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS (1979, aka. Destroyers of the Five Deadly Venoms; The Destroyers) MASKED AVENGERS (1981) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member flashkicks Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 Thanks for the reply Kung Fu Bob I have most of those other films you recommend so ill be sure to check them out:bigsmile: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 I think you'll find that it doesn't get much better than Heroes of the East my friend! Truly a great film. Another great "iron-triangle" era Chang Cheh film is Blood Brothers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 How come every time I find or watch a Shaw, I get billions of recommendations for other titles ?! Ten Tigers Of Kwang Tung sounds nice, so does The Magnificent Ruffians - two films I don't have BTW (and need we forget the Venom flicks I've been recommended in another thread - Kid With A Golden Arm and Flag of Iron) I have New One-Armed Swordsman and Blood Brothers on DVD, still need to watch these though - already saw (and enjoyed) Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman, but I still need to get the first OAS movie. I like your write-up on this. I do really dig the film, but if feels like it has so much more potential than what ended up on screen. And I've also always thought it odd that The Snake's kung fu was so different than most other snake style fighters in other films. I guess that was action choreographer Robert Tai trying to make it look a bit more original instead of following the old trends. The Centipede's style looks the coolest to me. Thanks man. I thought people would stone me for being a bit disappointed and not praising this film, but so far I'm doing fine. The Centipede's style is very impressive indeed, but I liked the Snake's more - Toad and Gecko/Lizard (he's called Gecko in the IVL subs) have a nice style too, while Scorpion seems the most realistic and most classic one of the bunch (he's essentially a superkicker, though he has darts too). The sixth student (or should we say the main character, since he has the most screen time and the movie is focused on his search for his five fellow students ?) is supposed to know a bit of each style, but he seems to use more the Lizard's (or Gecko's) style than the others (he doesn't kick like Scorpion, his hand moves aren't as swift and striking as the Snake's nor as fast and powerful as the Centipede's and he doesn't have the inner power of Toad). What I found interesting though is the idea that unlike most films with masked superhero characters, you learn the secret identities of the guys along the movie (the old master in the beginning doesn't give names or appearances, he just mentions people with a mask and a peculiar kung fu) - the idea of having the guys slowly exposed one by one (you get ideas who some of them are quite early on, but the last one being revealed only in the last five minutes - and being a completely unexpected twist - was damn cool). I made fun of the premise earlier, but the idea of maintaining the secret identities and their discovery being made as the movie flows is really cool. On a sidenote KFB, I noticed moments in the film that may have given you inspiration for your Venoms paintings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 Ten Tigers Of Kwang Tung sounds nice It may sound nice but it`s quite a mess, almost like two movies in one. In 1st one, heroes have massive advantage over villains, 2nd part is better with nice finale. But I would not mark it as priority in shopping list. Enjoyable to watch loads of stars there but you can spend your money into better movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 It is two movies. Much like Heaven and Hell it was an abandoned production restarted with a new cast, trying to tie all the footage together (almost a proto-cut and paste in that regards). I know the missing fight scenes are as legendary to some fans as the Bruce Lee saw-murder. Search the forum. Re: LKL – Heroes of the East starts slow? To me the marital sparring, literal and figurative, between husband and wife is some of the most charming and dazzling in Pops' career, and a perfect encapsulation of his chief theme: the meeting ground between the biological and martial-arts (and filmmaking) family. If the film has one flaw – and otherwise it's very well LKL's masterpiece – it's that he never really ties the two storylines together the way he could have. A scene showing his reconcilation with his wife and his acceptance by her martial-arts "family" as being one and the same would have really tied the whole thing beautifully. I also love Shaolin Mantis which, while not a wuxia, feels like a companion to Twelve Gold Medallions or Avenging Eagle as a dark study of the toll of familial obligations in the martial-world. I also love that even by the end you still don't have a handle on David Chiang's true motivations for doing what he did. A truly ambiguous character the like you don't often find in the genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KenHashibe Posted January 2, 2015 Member Share Posted January 2, 2015 I can't remember much about the first two, but WHAT PRICE HONESTY is definitely a kick ass film! The first two aren't especially memorable. They're a lot like many of the other SB comedies that came out around at the time (when Wong Jing came into the picture). What Price Honesty is definitely a great film. It's unfortunate that such a powerful film isn't as well known as some other SB classics. My guess is how dark it is. Actually, this movie's just as dark as it is engrossing. It's like if Ringo Lam made a movie for SB. I also got to see Destiny's Champion recently. It isn't really a SB movie, the film was just developed at Shaw Studios. It's also directed by Sun Chung and stars Ti Lung so Celestial slapped the SB logo onto the packaging. It was filmed in 1984 but released in 1997, but this movie is wholeheartedly 80's. It's like watching Rocky mixed with Karate Kid and starring Chinese actors. Certainly far from as good as either movie, but it's still a fun 80's flick, if still completely unimportant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted January 3, 2015 Member Share Posted January 3, 2015 Shaolin Rescuers Great venoms movie. The story is simple but not terrible. The 5 "true" venoms are in the movie, but you won't see much of Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng until the final act. Pai Piao also has a pretty sizable role here, and does alright. There is some unnecessary use of the "red screen" Chang Cheh liked to experiment with, it feels awkward and doesn't really work. So, none of that sounds "great" at all does it? On to the great stuff, this movie has the best fighting I have seen in any Venoms film. There is a lot of playful slapstick fighting between the hero's early on, and it is pretty funny, but also well executed and great action. The fights get more serious as the movie goes on, but remain great. This probably has more comedy than most Venoms movies as well, but it is mostly in the choreography, and works well. Anyway, great fighting from bowls, benchs, and chopsticks to fists, legs, and weapons. Phillip Kwok and Lo Mang are the main stars here, and are also the stand outs for the most part, for both fighting and comedy. Lo Mang has plenty of screen time in this one, which is very refreshing. Phillip Kwok is always good, but the fighting in this movie really is exceptional. They carry the movie before the story really gets going, and that isn't a complaint. Sun Chien is great when he gets a shot, but is underused as usual. Chiang Sheng and Lu Feng don't do much til late, but both do what they're best at in the end(acrobatics/comedy, and weapons). There is one fight involving a minor cast member that I'd like to give special mention, Lu Feng fights a guy with two swords early on in the film..it is one of the best fights in the movie, and I have no idea who the guy he is fighting is. Every fight in this movie is class though, and I only give this one special mention because it involves a minor character. One thing that stood out to me was that this film is missing a few Venoms trademarks.. You won't find many extravagant costumes, or crazy characters. Of all of the Venoms film's I have seen, this one most resembles a film from Changs "Shaolin Cycle." It is also less dark than most Venoms movies, for the most part. I am not sure whether these things work in its favor or against it, but they make it stand out. With that said, I watched a bootleg with poor PQ, so it may have been more colorful than I thought, haha. I am not sure where I would "rank" this among the venoms films. After watching this, I think I am about done trying to rank them! One thing is for sure - this is a great movie, and I can't wait to see a good version of it. Sorry for another long winded post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted January 3, 2015 Administrator Share Posted January 3, 2015 It is two movies. Much like Heaven and Hell it was an abandoned production restarted with a new cast, trying to tie all the footage together (almost a proto-cut and paste in that regards). I know the missing fight scenes are as legendary to some fans as the Bruce Lee saw-murder. Search the forum. If I knew this before I'd forgotten it. Makes a lot of sense though as I always felt it was a mashing of two films. Re: LKL – Heroes of the East starts slow? To me the marital sparring, literal and figurative, between husband and wife is some of the most charming and dazzling in Pops' career, and a perfect encapsulation of his chief theme: the meeting ground between the biological and martial-arts (and filmmaking) family. If the film has one flaw – and otherwise it's very well LKL's masterpiece – it's that he never really ties the two storylines together the way he could have. A scene showing his reconcilation with his wife and his acceptance by her martial-arts "family" as being one and the same would have really tied the whole thing beautifully. Though I agree with you wholeheartedly, and this is probably my favorite Shaw Brothers film of all, I've often hear people say that it starts slow. I've lent this film, and shown it to more people than any other film, and many people say stuff like "It was kind of dialogue heavy in the beginning, and there wasn't any real fighting for a while. But then it got really good." I get what they are saying, but feel completely different about it personally. I enjoy the couple clashing over both culture and arts as much as anything else in the film. I think it's just fantastic. This is one of the first films I showed my wife when we first met, right after she said "I don't think I've ever seen a kung fu movie. At least not all the way through. Maybe I saw some Bruce Lee movies when I was little." I took her gently by the hand and led her to the TV. LOL She loved the film too, and it's one of the few she's wanted to see for a second time. I recently got this and a few other classic kung fu films as gifts for my 12 year old niece and 10 year old nephew. They practice martial arts (Pencak Silat) and I thought they might dig it. They were not impressed by Bruce Lee! But they loved HEROES OF THE EAST and DRUNKEN MASTER. My niece found the couple's story much more interesting than the duels, and said that she wanted to see more of those two working it out, but was still stunned by the choreography and skills throughout. My nephew said "I would've wanted both the Japanese weapons and the Chinese weapons. That would be the greatest collection!" Though I think your idea for more of a "wrap-up" would've been nice, the final shot is perfect and unforgettable to me. I also love Shaolin Mantis which, while not a wuxia, feels like a companion to Twelve Gold Medallions or Avenging Eagle as a dark study of the toll of familial obligations in the martial-world. I also love that even by the end you still don't have a handle on David Chiang's true motivations for doing what he did. A truly ambiguous character the like you don't often find in the genre. Kung fu cinema would've benefitted from more films with that mood as far as I'm concerned. TWELVE GOLD MEDALLIONS is my kind of wuxia-pan. SHAOLIN MANTIS' plot has a cloud of tragedy over almost everyone involved. Without spoiling anything for those that haven't seen it, I've always felt that Chiang's character was sort of apolitical, and mostly just focused on his martial arts training before the film's events. Therefore he never thought any deeper than the obvious as far as what he should do once put in the situation he finds himself in. This is another favorite of mine, and if I could only keep 10 SB films for the rest of my life, it would definitely be one of them. The first two aren't especially memorable. They're a lot like many of the other SB comedies that came out around at the time (when Wong Jing came into the picture). What Price Honesty is definitely a great film. It's unfortunate that such a powerful film isn't as well known as some other SB classics. My guess is how dark it is. Actually, this movie's just as dark as it is engrossing. It's like if Ringo Lam made a movie for SB. I'm not a big fan of kung fu comedies, and a lot of the SB ones don't do it for me. So I'm not surprised that I don't remember them. Good description of WHAT PRICE HONESTY. I also got to see Destiny's Champion recently. It isn't really a SB movie, the film was just developed at Shaw Studios. It's also directed by Sun Chung and stars Ti Lung so Celestial slapped the SB logo onto the packaging. It was filmed in 1984 but released in 1997, but this movie is wholeheartedly 80's. It's like watching Rocky mixed with Karate Kid and starring Chinese actors. Certainly far from as good as either movie, but it's still a fun 80's flick, if still completely unimportant. Okay, how did this "SB film" starring my man Ti Lung completely escape my attention? Geez Ken, I have VHS tapes older than you, but I'm still learning good stuff from you! Kudos little brother. Thanks for putting it on my radar. I'm definitely going to get this film and check it out. Shaolin Rescuers Great venoms movie. The story is simple but not terrible. The 5 "true" venoms are in the movie, but you won't see much of Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng until the final act. Pai Piao also has a pretty sizable role here, and does alright. There is some unnecessary use of the "red screen" Chang Cheh liked to experiment with, it feels awkward and doesn't really work... Sorry for another long winded post! Dude, I for one love your long posts. Don't apologize. We kung fu fans come here to read what others think, and you are definitely providing that. Oh, and I really dig SHAOLIN RESCUERS too! Cool flick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted January 3, 2015 Member Share Posted January 3, 2015 Godfather of canton was enjoyable gangster flick with main character gordon liu as villain. Plot did go (surprisingly) well, there was not boring moment. There is very little kung-fu but guns are used quite a lot. Definitely recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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